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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28262835">The Rough Flower</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strugglingsapien/pseuds/Strugglingsapien'>Strugglingsapien</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Call Me By Your Name (2017) RPF, Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Rating May Change, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:28:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>22,843</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28262835</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strugglingsapien/pseuds/Strugglingsapien</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Timmy owns a flower shop amidst a corporate town, of which the majority of the property was owned by the Hammer family. Armie Hammer, the eldest son and the CEO of the Hammer &amp; co, a savage businessman, known for his ruthless business policies, was hailed by the media as the future of the company. But all his plans was wrecked when he had a chance encounter with this beautiful young man, which made hammer reconsider his life choices.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Henry Cavill/Armie Hammer, Nick Delli Santi/Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet/Armie Hammer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>117</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>128</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Miracle in the rain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hey fellow fandom mates, this is my first fanfiction. pardon me if I make some mistakes. I am here to learn. hope you guys love this !</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The sound of the alarm disturbed the tranquility of his room. The sun was yet to rise and a soothing dark light swathed over the room. The sound of the rain and the warmness of the bed made it impossible for him to wake up. Too cozy to get up, Timmy resolved to sleep for five more minutes. His eyes still being shut, snaked his arms to his phone and hit the snooze button.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After what felt like five minute, he mustered all his willpower to get up. Not having heard any more sound from the alarm he checked his phone only to realize that it was 4:40. A wave of panic jolted through his body. He cursed himself for staying up late, for not having a control over his impulse to binge watch shows.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> He removed his bed spread, got up from the bed, stretched himself and ran towards the bathroom, turned on the hot shower. The warmness of the hot water was so comforting, rather than waking up he was craving more sleep. For a second he thought to switch to cold water but it was freezing outside and cold water was a big risk. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After his comforting shower, as he opened the bathroom door, a cold breeze struck him, sending a shiver down his spine. This shock woke him up from his slumber mood. The room was moderately warm, yet the temperature difference between the room and the bathroom made it impossible for him to stay naked. He rushed towards his closet to find some clothes.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> He went for a black hoodie and a leather jacket with his favourite denim jeans. Upon dressing up, he rushed to the kitchen to eat something. To make up the lost time, he skipped his wholesome breakfast and settled for a glass of milk and some apple slices. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Halfway through his breakfast he heard the sound of a truck pulling up. He hurried downstairs, and was greeted by his wholesaler Benjamin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘Good morning Ben’ he waved at a short man who was busy unloading fresh batches of flowers from his old grumpy truck.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> Benjamin is a chatty person. Though most people assumed  him as a bore, Timmy genuinely loved him. He loved people who talked a lot, he could listen to their endless talking for hours. But Friday, being a busy day for Ben, left the shop way earlier than usual. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The flower shop was an old two storey building, the upstairs was converted for Timmy’s accommodation and downstairs for the shop. The building was an odd one out in this otherwise corporate town. As the time passed their small town changed, more glorious skyscrapers and sleek modern buildings replaced the rustic, industrial looking buildings. But the flower shop  which was previously owned by Timmy's grandparents and few other shops along the line was the only thing that remained static. It stood there, as odd looking as it was, as a testament to the past.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy unboxed all the flowers and kept them in a clean glass vase filled with water. By the time he was cleaning the refrigerator, Saoirse and Florence came. They seemed to be in a deep conversation and Timmy was too occupied to join in. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ hello Timmo’ Saoirse said, taking her eyes off from Florence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> ‘ good morning Timmy’ Florence smiled</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘So it was all going well until he said to me that he is married, can you believe it ?’ Sersh shouted. ‘ he is married ?’  Florence opened her mouth wide in sheer disbelief </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ seriously Sersh, you should stop this online dating thing’ she said ‘the app is full of pervs!’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> ‘ not all of them’ Sersh defended. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ From all the stories I've heard from you, I legit believe it is’ Florence said while moving some flowers outside and neatly arranging them to catch the customers attention.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sersh took the window cleaner and moved to clean the glass paneled exterior of the shop ‘ not all of them are pervs, sure there are some bad apples in the bunch, still it's a lot of fun’ she said while cleaning the fog covered glass. ‘ you guys should try it sometimes’ she said to them. Sersh was on a mission to make them use tinder but both Flo and Timmy were old souls and found it extremely stressful of an activity.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>                                                              ***</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> The advantage of having a flower shop amidst a corporate town is that people brought a lot of flowers to their workplace. It  was the closest to nature they could get in their office. Timmy made a stable income just from selling to these people. Everyday busy interns would run into his shop. Timmy would offer them a warm smile and chat with them, wish them a good day.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Another reason the employees stopped by his shop was to have a glimpse of the beauty that Timmy is. Although Timmy is not aware of this, he certainly was the talk of the town. He had the power to catch the attention of the straightest of straight men. Desire was not something they felt, it was a feeling beyond that. Most of them just wanted to look at him. looking at him gave them a sense of serenity in their otherwise busy and exhausting life. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>                                           ***</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saoirse and Florence left a bit earlier than usual. It being Friday, the probability of having  late night customers was high so Timmy decided to stay a little longer than his usual closing time.   </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All throughout the morning there was some drizzle but as it got darker it became stronger and more scattered. Timmy prepared himself a cup of hot chocolate. There's something about the sound of the rain which made him content, soothed and relaxed. Drinking his hot chocolate he stared at the late night employees running back to their nest, they looked so worn out. He thought.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy turned his head towards the left of the road and spotted a  tall man rushing towards his shop. He was on the opposite side of the road and had a huge transparent umbrella in his hand. As he got nearer he saw that the man was wearing an expensive navy blue suit, and he looked as if  he was born in the wrong era, He had this classic old Hollywood movie star look. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> Timmy gazed at this gorgeous man, unaware of the fact that this muvi star was about to turn his world upside down.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The angel without wings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A cold feeling crept inside him, he could hear the sound of his heart pounding against his chest,  Was that because of fear, awe or both ? he couldn't decide.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi, so this chapter is from the perspective of Armie. The Italianized words are his thoughts. Hope you guys enjoy it :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span> Armie Hammer was so immersed in the world of figures and numbers that he totally missed his phone buzzing on the table. It was the month’s end, the busiest day in the office. He had to tally the financial statement to review it with his shareholders. He was halfway through the work  when he noticed his phone buzzing. Irked at this noise which kept interrupting his work, he checked the phone to find 23 missed calls from his wife, Liz. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> Liz seldom called him, usually they preferred to text. But it was their tenth wedding anniversary. They, hmm no, she had planned a three days long celebration. It begins with a small family dinner on Friday. A bigger party with friends and colleagues on Saturday. And the church on Sunday. For the past two months Elizabeth had talked about nothing but the party, hence Armie knew the schedule but was so caught up in work that he nearly forgot it.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He checked the time, it was 6:30 PM. A wave of relief shot through his body, he was not late after all. The dinner starts at eight,  But he was the host and was expected to be there before the guests. He had already told her that it was going to be a busy day for him and if possible to cancel this plan, but she was so keen on this. Eyes still fixed on the computer screen, he called her back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘Armie’ His wife answered ‘ don't get caught up in work' she said as if she was reading Armie's mind. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>' Dru and my parents are here, your dad and Viktor are on their way. Please don't be late' she affirmed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I know Liz, don't worry I’ll be there on time’ he said  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> ‘ oh yeah and  don't forget to pick up some flowers for me’.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> '  I think I deserve them, after all we have completed a decade together without killing each other off' she said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> ' I never thought we will make it this far' he said more to himself than to her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>' me too' and then she hung up the call. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>If there's anything Armie Hammer hated, it was not finishing what he started. He would never enjoy the dinner if the work is incomplete. It would bug him for the rest of the night. So, for the sake of his own sanity, he decided to finish the work before calling it a day. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was almost done with his work, when he received another call from his wife.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>'Armie, are you still at the office' she questioned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>'Ahh… hmm…  no I'm on my way to the flower shop' he said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>' you haven't  bought the flowers yet ?’ she cried  ‘make it fast okay, everyone's here' </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>'Liz, I'm not going to be late,’ he said and hung up the phone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Out of habit, he closed all the tabs, turned off his computer, and cleaned his desk. When everything was neat and clean, he bid goodbye to a few of his late night employees and made his way to the car. It was raining heavily when he got into the car.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> He drove to the nearest flower shop. He had been planning to purchase this part of the town for so long. It was  for the warehouse he was planning to build. This one is closer to the  port. If he’s able to purchase this,  there will be a major cut down on the transportation charges. But the owners have been extremely stubborn and refused to sell him the place. <em>Once the deal with Facebook is finalized I</em> <em>should pay more attention to this issue</em>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He managed to find a parking spot near the flower shop. it was within walking distance. The thought of going out in this weather gave him serious regrets, but he had to. He stepped out of his car and opened a  white umbrella he got from japan and walked towards the flower shop.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> It was not his first time being in this part of the town, but he never had an opportunity to devour its beauty up this close. The buildings  looked extra cozy than the rest of the town. It was much greener too. The yellow lights from the street had an alluring effect, as if the whole thing was from a well made painting. The rain only increased the charm of the street. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> Admiring the beauty of his background, he walked towards the flower shop. It  was on a corner of the street. A dark green ivy framed the glass paneled exterior. The inside of which was lit with yellow hanging lights. The shop seemed so pristine and whole that his inside  filled with a sudden warmness despite the chilly weather. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When he walked into the shop he was greeted by a young man. To call him a person was an understatement, he seemed too divine to be a mere human. <em>Is this a man?  perhaps a woman ? could be a creature</em>. Whatever it may be, it was the most exquisite thing Armie had ever seen.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A cold feeling crept inside him, he could hear the sound of his heart pounding against his chest,  Was that because of fear, awe or both ? he couldn't decide. His head felt dizzy. <em>How could have I missed something like this? Where was he all this time?, what is he doing on  Earth? Why does he not have any wings?</em> so many questions cramped his brain.   </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then the boy smiled at him. The smile sent chills to his bones. An intense surge of desire caught him, a desire to bite him, yes to bite him. He wanted to devour  him. He sure will taste sweet.<em> I want you,  I want you, I want you</em>…. His heart chanted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> <em>Get a grip Hammer, it's your wedding anniversary, you have a dinner to host,</em> he reminded himself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The boy seemed quite confused by this strange man staring at him </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ may I get you something’ he asked in a small voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Ahh..mmm… flowers?’ Armie’s voice squeaked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ what sort of flowers? There was concern on the boy's face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> helpless to form sentences, he looked at the boy and said ‘ tulips?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> ‘ loose flowers or bouquet?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ bouquet’ he said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>While the boy was packing the bouquet, all he could do was to stare at the boy's hand. Those hands, they were not just hands but a work of art. Besides being lean, thin and delicate, It seemed perfectly angular, as if it was the magnum opus of a gifted artist </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as he finished packing Armie paid the money and got out of the shop. Once he was out, he took a long deep breath. It was only then his breath became proper.<em> what was that</em>. He had never felt anything like that before. The surge of emotions was too much for him to handle. He got inside the car, focused on his breathing. If just the sight of him made Armie this vulnerable, he couldn't picture what would happen to him when he had him the way he wanted, the thoughts gave him chills, he decided not to come back, <em>never again</em>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Armie Hammer is a master at controlling his emotions. He firmly believed that any unwanted emotion is a threat to his rationality. Like a creeping plant, an intense desire crawled through his body. He decided to chop them off before they flower, being totally oblivious to the fact that it’s root has already buried  it’s claws deep into his heart.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you liked this, or if you need to tell me anything please leave a comment.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Moonlight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“ then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon..’’  Sylvia Plath called the moon THE LIAR’, he knew why, because the moonlight made everything much more beautiful than it was.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>* Happy New year! to expect that this year would heal the damage 2020 has done to us is futile, so let us hope that things will change for better.<br/>* as usual, the chapter is from Armie's perspective, the Italianized words are his thoughts. <br/>* this chapter turned out to be a lot longer than I anticipated, so I had to break it into two. I can hopefully upload the second part as the fourth chapter. <br/>* hope you guys enjoy this.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The dinner was fairly uneventful. His family was staying with him for the rest of the weekend, the thought of which gave him anxiety. It's not like he hated them, they were his first priority, he loved them. It's just that, all of them had strong personalities, it would be a miracle if they made it alive by the end of the events.   </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After the day he had, the only thing he needed was a good night of sleep. To sleep and to forget. After he made sure that his family was comfortable, he went to his room. Elizabeth had already gone to sleep. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He took a quick shower, changed into his boxers and robe, he smoothened his honey blonde hair and his half grown beard. when he made sure  all the lights were off and it was perfectly silent, he went to bed. He pulled the duvet up to  his nose just so that he could sniff the citrus detergent. The smell always soothed him to sleep. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> The room had a floor to ceiling window on his side of the bed. On a full moon day, the room would be lit up by the light from the moon,  it was a feast to the eyes. “ then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon..’’  Sylvia Plath called the moon THE LIAR’, he knew why, it was because the moonlight made everything much more beautiful than it was, <em>Moon you liar</em>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But now, even the moon failed to impress him, because his heart was somewhere else. <em>Will the moon be able to elevate his beauty?</em> <em>If yes,</em> <em>by how much</em>, he didn't need any moonlight to make him any more radiant. Even on the moodiest day he looked so appealing.  he couldn't even imagine how the young man would look under the moonlight. <em>Stop thinking about him.</em></span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Shaking off these thoughts, He closed his eyes and let his mind wander to mundane things, he thought about his party, about the meeting on Monday and finally slipped into a dream... Somewhere faraway in an unfamiliar kingdom, On a full moon day, an exhausted king decided to get some rest. When he slowly opened the door to his chamber,  he was greeted by the sight of a young man sleeping on a plush red lounge. His one arm raised and rested on the lounge and the other arm loosely dropped to the floor. The lounge was near the big south facing window.  The midnight moon was shining right besides him, as if it was keeping a watch on this sweet youngling. Whenever a light breeze passed through the window, his loose curls brushed his closed eyes. The king had an urge to brush it back. It felt divine, a feeling of being bewitched by this otherworldly beauty.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Armie opened his eyes, he was more disappointed than shocked. How badly he wanted to finish the dream. <em>What the hell was that</em>. He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. Once out of the bed he could fully see the effect the dream had on him, to its fullest glory. He tried to think about all the nastiest things in the world, to make this go away. <em>This is embarrassing</em>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He went to his study. Pacing up and down he tried to calm down his restless mind. Trying to make sense of this surge of emotions. Tired of thinking, he went online just to distract himself from his thoughts,  but ultimately ended up in the Instagram profile of the very first thing he wanted to avoid. <em>Humans</em>... He was brought back to reality by a knock on the door. It was Elizabeth. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘You pulled an all- nighter ?’ she looked annoyed</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And suddenly it dawned on him that it was morning already. The four walls of his study were filled with books, leaving a little or no space for the natural light. Making  It is very easy to lose track of time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ ah..mmm.. I had some urgent mails to send’   </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ How are you going to stay late tonight, if you had no sleep at all?’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ God knows how long the party is going to last, you need to sleep’ she was annoyed but was not surprised at her husband, they've been together for so long and she knows that her husband was a workaholic.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ yes son, don't work too hard’  his dad came into the study and patted his back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ you're making me look bad’ his brother joked, he came to the room and sat on the couch.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He laughed. Being the younger sibling, Viktor certainly was a mess. But he was lucky enough to not to be on the family’s radar to be successful. Armie secretly envied his brother. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I'm sorry guys, I won't be able to join you for a game. I think I need to get some sleep, if not Lizzy will kill me’ he grinned at Elizabeth</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ yes I will’ she said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ oh man, I was looking forward to it,’ his brother said with a bit of disappointment in his voice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ yeah, yeah,  we can go on Sunday, let him rest a bit,’ his father said to his brother.  And just like that both of them left the room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ get some sleep Armie, I mean it’ Liz commanded  ‘ I'll be going to the villa with your mom and Maya, I'll send Nick when it's time’ she gave him a peck on his cheeks and left the room. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The party was in their  private house. Their mansion was in the outskirts of the town, and would be an inconvenience for the guests. The private house was in the heart of the city, much more convenient for the transportation of the guests. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They were having a Gatsby themed party. Glamorous with lots of gold, glitter and booze. It was Liz’s idea. She was an expert at throwing parties, Armie was always amazed at this talent of hers. He knew that she sought certain pleasure from  planning these things and executing them. Luckily Armie never took any interest in them.  Elizabeth never tolerated  Armie intervening in her business, so did Armie. They had a mutual understanding, they left them alone with their own interests and likings. It was the secret to their marriage; to never meddle with each other's affairs. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>                           ***</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Armie slept like a dead man and was woken up by his butler Mr. Martin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ master Hammer, Mr. Dellisanti is here’ he said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ ask him to wait in the study room’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He checked the time, it was 4:30 pm. He slept well and felt a lot lighter than before. He took a deep breath.<em> I finally feel like myself</em>. He got out of his bed, put on his robes and went out to his study. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘look at you’ nick exclaimed ‘ you look awful’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick scanned the surrounding and when he made sure that nobody was watching, he moved a bit closer to Armie. He raised his hands and brushed Armie’s untamed hair</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick was his lawyer and a friend. perhaps more than just a friend. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span> ‘You need to shave’ he said, placing a small peck on his lips, he moved his hands towards Armie’s chin and brushed the small poking hairs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie laid his hands on Nick’s waist and pulled him closer. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> ‘no, I think I am going to keep this beard,’ he said, rubbing his chin on Nick's clean shaven cheeks. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ if you’re going to be Gatsby then you can't keep this one’ he said</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ no , I don't think I am going to be Gatsby’ he laughed</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘Yes you’re’ Nick grinned and pointed towards an ivory suit on the couch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘No way’ Armie exclaimed ‘ why didn't you tell me ?’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ if we’ve told you , we were sure you would have ruled out this idea’ Nick walked towards the suit  and caressed it as if it was a new born baby.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ You sneaky bastard’ Armie sat besides Nick and placed a kiss on his neck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>' And now what, are you gonna force me with a walking cane ?' </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>' yup, the cane is in my car' </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>' are you serious?' </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>'yes, I am'</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ if I am going to be Gatsby, does that make you Nick?’ he said, teasing nick.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I think so,’ he replied.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The bond between Nick and Armie was old and strong. They were in this secret weird relationship for almost seven years, Armie doubt if there was any  love between them. Both of them had many other men during the course of their clandestine affair. But he certainly was much more comfortable with Nick.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Armie placed his hand on the arms of the couch, framing Nick. With his other hand he pushed Nick down, making him on the top. He then  slowly caressed Nick's slender neck.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ no, no, no’ nick pushed him away</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ we have a party to attend’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ so?’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So, you need to take a bath, get dressed and get out of here’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ okay if that’s what you want’ Armie said sounding disappointed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ that’s what I want’ he pushed him away and straightened his suit ‘ I am gonna wait outside, get ready, we have to pick up your grandpa’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>                                               ****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When he got all dressed up and ready,  He took one last look in the mirror. <em>I finally feel like myself</em>. A sense of pride possessed him, he was glad that he was able to settle the issue that bugged him last night. ‘ you are Armand Hammer’ he said to his reflection ‘ you get what you want’ his lips curled into a villainous smirk.. Nick was waiting for him on the outside, before he went back to him, he went to his study, opened his computer and sent the mail he prepared last night to the guy at the flower shop, to Timothée Chalamet. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*I just need to clarify that Armie is not cheating on Liz, they are in an open marriage. we can hopefully explore this side of their relationship in the forthcoming chapters. <br/>* have a happy New year you guys!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Legacy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They were on their way back. The streets were almost empty,  Armie looked outside, the trees were moving backwards . His eyes were hollow, he felt empty and his heart chanted  ‘I have a legacy to carry’</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>*it's been a while since I last posted. this chapter is really odd, as odd as last couple of weeks in the fandom and my life.<br/>* rather than a continuous narration, this chapter is a collection of his memories.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(present)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The party was the talk of the town. Glamorous babes with their gold covered bikini and feathered wings blessed the crowd with their seductive moves. The crystal chandelier in the center of the ball room, bathed the guests with a hue of gold. It was an event of luxury, anything less than that would be a major blow to their reputation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the center stood Armie, crowded by friends and family. He welcomed them into this happiness of his. Even in this compact crowd, Armie noticed Henry, standing a few meters away from him. His senses worked much better when he was with him: a chill through his spine, elevated heart rate, an ache in his chest. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He looked so different, much more buffed up. And the curls… The curls Armie  once adored  was replaced by a classic haircut.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As in some telepathic connection, Henry lifted his head and locked his eyes with armie. He could see a familiar smile forming in Henry's face. That smile sent a dagger straight through his heart, years have passed yet he struggled to get over that smile.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p>                                                                                    ***</p>
<p>[past]</p>
<p>He had no classes scheduled on Friday, so he roamed around the campus for half of the day. his campus had a temperate climate, it was cold; one of the many things he loved about this place. 4000 miles away from home and still it never made him feel empty, as if he had found his second home.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Armie usually doesn't prefer to sit idle, but he did nothing that day. His exam schedule was announced. He refused to check the time table because he knows if he did, he would panic. He avoided the thought of the exam for the rest of the day. He needed a day off, before unleashing the chaos. Everything was fine until he went to sleep. The moment he closed his eyes, the thought of the exam flooded his mind. <em>That's it</em>. He got up from his bed and checked his time table.  His mind paced until he made a detailed study plan about the exam.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> According to his plan, he should’ve begun his studies two week ago. <em>It’s okay you can add some extra hours to fit in the schedule</em>, he consoled himself but all in vain. Anxiety crawled through his body. This is not helping. He got out of the bed and packed some books, a bottle of water, put on his grey hoodie and headed towards the library. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He checked the time, it was 10:30 PM, his college library would be closed already, so he went to the common library; that was open for late night studies. He had to walk a bit longer but He found a seat near the window, it was less crowded and had a good view, so the walk was worth it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> As the time passed and as he covered more topics, his anxiety dropped. He decided to take a quick break. He closed his books, leaned back on his chair, stretched his legs, lowered his spine a  bit so that his head could rest on the top of the chair and drew a deep breath. the place seemed almost empty except for this one guy who was sitting a few tables away from him. His long curls were falling to either side of his forehead, and his cheeks had a pale tint of red in them. The boy lifted his head and locked his eyes with Armie, and offered a kind smile. Armie smiled back.  </p>
<p>      </p>
<p>               ****</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He was woken up by a frantic cry of a woman chanting. The outside sky was the color of  purple with a few streaks of blue. He was still lying in his bed, too scared to get up. His mother took a handful of oil from a white bottle which was shaped like mother Mary, poured it  in his head and began to massage. once done with this she said to him ‘no school today, take a bath and come downstairs’  </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He did as he was told. As soon as he was downstairs his mother said ‘ let's go’. No questions followed,  He knew where they were going, he did not say anything, there’s no point. He sinned, now he need to confess’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was still early in the morning and the church was empty except for the priest and the pastor. This  whole confession thing was familiar to him; he made his confessions every six months or so. even if he did not commit any sins, it was necessary for the holy mass on Sunday. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Once they were inside the wooden cage, the priest began his usual prayer. In the name of lord the priest promised him to keep this conversation between them and asked him to confess</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘It was not me father’ he defended ‘ it was David, he wanted to kiss me, I was just curious’ half of this was a lie, but he did not care, he hated this so much and wanted to run away from this.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And of course the father saw through his lies, he was very much experienced to know when a person is lying ‘ ask for forgiveness my child’ he said ‘For the Lord is good and his love endures forever’  </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ forgive me’ he said. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>When the confession was over, the priest called him outside. He had a concerned look on his face, he put a hand on Armie's shoulder and said ‘ it’s common for young boys like you to have such feelings, I've dealt with many such kids and they have gotten over it, don’t worry, you’ll grow out of this too’ the priest smiled</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Don’t worry, you’ll grow out of this…</em> he said to himself. </p>
<p>      </p>
<p>                                     *****</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The visit to the library became a regular thing.  It was the same scene every time ;  a few students  scattered on the large space, the comfortable silence , the smell of  books  And the curly haired guy. The boy became a part of this peaceful sanctuary,  so much so that  his absence disturbed his tranquility. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was a  week before his exam, he was busy studying when the boy came and  sat next to him. Armie was startled, he never expected this encounter. The other boy seemed cool, almost too cool. <em>He smiled with his eyes.</em> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ hi, I’m henry, from political science’ he said</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ Armie from the business department’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ ah, I know, I've seen you around. Hmm…  when is your  exam ?’ he asked</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ next week and you?’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ oh we have two weeks more’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Armie didn't know what to ask next  to keep the convo going, so he blurted out ‘ are you done with your revisions?’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ bold of you to assume that  I was revising ’ Henry said with a mischievous smile. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> <em>he’s too confident</em>, Armie thought. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ then what were you doing?’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ reading a novel ‘</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ So you have an exam next week and you’re reading?’ <em>the audacity of this guy</em> Armie thought</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘  first of all it’s not next week and unlike you I don't have a habit of preparing beforehand, I just study on the last minute’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘Unlike you ?’ Armie repeated his words, <em>how dare he</em>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ Yes, look at you, you look like  that guy who submits all the assignments way before the due date and sits in front of the class : a  teacher's pet’ Henry let out a small laugh. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>  This triggered Armie, yes he admits that henry was hot, confident and charming but how dare he assume something like this,  even though all his assumptions were true, but how dare he. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Henry noticed the red in Armie’s face, he said  ‘ calm down, I was just flirting with you’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p> And just like that, the  red in his face changed to a hue of pink. He lowered his face trying to hide the blush. This was so weird for him, in the past he was approached by many but he diligently chose to avoid them because he was clueless and wanted to be left alone. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘  okay then, study well, I'll see you around’ Henry patted Armie's back and  went outside. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The late night visit to the library came to a halt when his exam got over. He went back to his regular schedule.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Armie was waiting for Nick when he spotted Henry in a crowd. They were in some sort of protest, It was not unusual to see him at these events. But to Armie it was a sight of amusement, because he could never do this. How was he supposed to raise a voice against injustice when he can’t ever raise it for himself? He stared at him, admiring. That’s when Henry noticed him. Henry waved his arms, said something to a girl next to him and ran towards Armie.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘  not coming to  the library anymore?’ Henry asked. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ I'll come when they announce the next exam schedule’ he said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ do I have to wait that long to see you’ henry said, almost mocking.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Armie gave a shy smile as his reply. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘Anyways do  you wanna join us?’ he said, looking at the protesters. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ No, I better not,' </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ oh , so you’re training to be the evil corporate lord who doesn't give a shit about the welfare of normal folks ?’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Normally he doesn't like it when people tease him like that, but this was henry. Even though he pretended to be uninterested by him, he secretly adored him. He was brave, outspoken and kind. Everything that Armie was not, but everything that he wanted to be. He lowered his head, stumbling to give an answer. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ I'm not comfortable,’ he finally said. He wanted to flee from this place and hide in his dungeon. This is too embarrassing. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>And like an angel, Nick came to the rescue. Nick was his senior ;  doing his masters in international law.  He met Nick on his  first day on the campus ; he was assigned to give a campus tour for a bunch of  first years. Ever Since then Nick just adopted Armie. Needless to say, Nick was his only friend ;Not that he was leading an invisible life, he had acquaintances from class, but not any friends. To call nick his friend was an understatement, but at least he made some effort to stay in touch with him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> ‘ what are you doing here?’ henry asked Nick</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ I have some plans with Armie, do you know him?’ Nick questioned. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ Yup, didn’t know that you were friends’ henry laughed ‘  </p>
<p> </p>
<p> The entire meeting confused Armie, the only two people whom he cared for were friends, what a small world. He wanted to laugh.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ so I guess, I'll see you tonight?’ henry said </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ Yup, I'll be there,’ Nick replied in a casual tone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Come on let's go’ nick motioned Armie, they were on their foot when henry shouted ‘bring him with you’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ I'll  if he want to’ nick shouted back  and looked at Armie</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ do you want to come?’ he said</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘To where ?’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ to get high’ nick grinned.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>'The event' happened every Saturday night. Apart from them, there were five other students: Ali  from medicine, Jude from English lit, Tyler from fine arts, Ravi  from biotech and Anthony from chemistry. They met at Anthony’s place. Unlike the rest of them, he lived in an apartment, and had a large balcony with a view. The only event in ‘ the event’ was to smoke weed and talk. To Talk about politics, war, revolution, about love, sex, desire. About everything. </p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>It was one such night. Usually Armie stuck  to  Nick, but that day Nick was too much occupied with Anthony so Henry took his spot. Armie dreamt of this for so many days but when this actually happened he lost his sense. He couldn't remember what they had talked about, his brain stopped functioning. Henry seemed so unbothered and chilled ; he was busy drinking and arguing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> As the night progressed,  the energy in the room Went down until it became absolutely silent. Henry was still on his side. dozing off to sleep, he kept his head on Armie's shoulder. ‘ do you mind’ he said</p>
<p> </p>
<p> Armie was surprised. He didn't reply.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> Armie's body tensed up, he couldn't move, so  He just  sat there for the rest of the night not knowing what to do. He saw the color in the sky change from black to blue. When the dawn broke Henry began to move. Armie was still awake. He suddenly closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.  Even with his eyes closed, Armie could feel Henry's gaze upon him. He tried his best not to give himself away. He could feel Henry moving towards him, he was so close to him that they were breathing the same air. A moment later he felt a wetness on his cheeks, Henry's soft lips brushing the pink spot on his face , so sudden and unexpected. It was hard to process so he just sat there, too surprised to move. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>                     </p>
<p>                                                       ***</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>He was fifteen when his father declared that it was time for Armie to assist him and  learn from him. Every weekend he would go to his fathers office, it was then he  got close to him. Unlike his mother, he was not religious and was pretty open minded. His father was his only hope. Many times he Had contemplated pouring his heart  out to him. And Many times he tried, but on the verge of spilling he stepped back. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was late in his office. They were both busy with their work. There was a peaceful silence between them. Not thinking  much Armie blurted out ‘I don't like girls’ he didn't know where this courage came from, but he was glad it was out. For a moment he felt relieved.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘What?’ his father lifted up his head from the desktop and stared at him ‘what did you say?’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ I'm attracted to men’ he said </p>
<p> </p>
<p>His father was silent. He took a deep breath, got up from his chair and sat next to Armie’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His father’s serious face raised some concern on Armie about the words that were to follow. That pale white face confirmed  that at any moment he would be disowned. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘What is your name’ he asked</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Armie was confused,  <em>why is he asking about my name. </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ what is your name?’ his father repeated </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ Armie’ he said</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ no, your full name’ his father pressed</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ Armand Douglas Hammer’ he said. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ you know the legacy of this name, don't you?’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ yes sir’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ your great grandfather had nothing when he  migrated,  everything that we see today was his  sole effort’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>You’re his namesake,  you carry his legacy' his father was stern, his face grew more serious. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ the moment  you were born, i knew you were special, I'm not supposed to say this, but your brother, he’s a black sheep, but you, you were always well behaved, obedient and talented, I had high hopes for you’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He put his hands on armies cheeks, Armie lowered his eyes</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ look at me’ he said</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ never speak about this stupidity, never again’ he said</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘when ever you feel like doing something stupid, just remember your name and the legacy it holds’  his father got up from the couch patted Armie’s back ‘Come on, let's go, we can finish this tomorrow’ said his father as if nothing had happened.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They were on their way back. The streets were almost empty,  Armie looked outside, the trees were moving backwards . His eyes were hollow, he felt empty and his heart chanted  ‘I have a legacy to carry’   </p>
<p> </p>
<p>                     ***</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Armie was busy doing his essay when he heard a knock on the door. It was henry. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ can I come in’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ yes’ he said, opening his door and then closing it when he was inside.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Henry put his backpack in Armie's chair and stared at Armie. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ what’s wrong?’ henry asked</p>
<p>‘ Nothing’ Armie said bowing his head down. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ then why are you skipping the event’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ I was busy’ Armie avoided his eyes. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ are you avoiding me’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Yes</em> he thought, <em>yes I'm avoiding you, if I didn't I will go crazy. You make me go crazy</em>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>There was silence between then </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ was it because of the kiss ?’</p>
<p>‘No’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ are you sure ?’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Armie nodded</p>
<p> </p>
<p>'So it’s okay if I kiss you again'  it was more of a statement than a question.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Armie wanted to say <em>yes</em> but he was too scared to speak.  <em>yes, please.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Henry came a bit closer, reducing the space between them. He smelled like vanilla, <em>sweet and fresh</em>.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ answer me’ he commented</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘Yes’ he whispered.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A sweet grin came to Henry's face. He put his hands on  Armie's chin and pulled him closer and placed a kiss on his eye. They pressed their lips together, slowly trying not to break each other. He felt like he was melting, as if the room was boiling.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ you’re so hot,’ Henry whispered. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> He thinks I'm hot </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ and so frickin tall’ he said, pushing Armie to sit on his bed while  Henry bowed down and kissed him again. This time it was much more deeper, Henry's hands moved to his chest,   brushed it for a second then pushed him further to the bed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> At this point Armie had lost the ability to control his body, he blindly  followed Henry's instruction. Henry climbed on top of him, ,he put his  hands near Armie’s shoulder, rested his weight on his hands and began to smooch armies neck. The ticklish feeling mixed with the pleasure was unbearable. He felt like a molten plastic. Henry’s wild curls were all over the place, he grabbed a bunch of them in his hands. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He could feel his hardening cock. It was twitching in his boxers. He put his hands on Henry's waist, pulling him towards him. ‘Ah.. fuck’ henry whispered grinding his cock against Armie’s. Henry abandoned Armie's neck and moved back to his lips. They finally let their tongue tangle together. Henry tasted like mint. The friction in his abdomen was increasing, Armie let a small moan. He thrusted his waist up, wanting more.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Henry finally broke the kiss and sat on Armie's stomach, removing his blue shirt. Armie rested his back on the headrest, and let his eyes wander on Henry's naked body.  ‘ what are you waiting for?’ Henry smiled ‘remove your clothes’ he commanded and helped him unbutton his shirt. Henry placed a kiss on Armie's collarbone and then on his chest. He then went on and licked his right nipple, this sent a straight shiver to his spine. He let out a small moan, and grabbed Henry's hair.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> Henry lifted his head and moved to Armie's face and bit his lower lips ‘ do you like that’ he asked ‘ yes’ he whimpered.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> Henry snaked his hands towards Armie's stomach and let it play a little,  moving  a bit lower he  touched his cock, it was dripping of precum. He moved his hands slowly, stroking his fully aroused cock.  Armie’s head just exploded. Nothing made sense anymore, except for one thing, his mother was right, he felt like being possessed by a devil. He felt hungry. But he liked it, he liked this feeling. He wanted more. A wild thought caught him. He pulled henry back‘ fuck me, henry’ he said. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Henry’s eyes widened, followed by a small grin. ‘ are you sure’. </p>
<p>‘Yes, yes, more than anything’ he said desperately. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ have you done this before’ he asked</p>
<p> </p>
<p> ‘ no’ the reply did not surprise henry, he  gave a peck on the back of his ear and then whispering he said ‘ don't worry, I'll make things easy for you’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ do you have a condom’ Armie asked</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ yes’ he said ‘ the lube is in the bathroom’ Armie said. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>When Henry went to the bathroom, he felt isolated, a cold feeling crept inside him. A fear of anticipation. when he came back, henry noticed this worry on his face. ‘If this is too soon for you, we can do it later’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p> ‘ no’ Armie insisted ‘ I need it now’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ oh I like this stubborn version of you ’ henry teased. </p>
<p>‘ okay then, turn back’ he commanded.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> Weird enough, Armie loved this commanding tone of henry. He opened the lube and took some on his hand and pushed it to his hole.  Henry’s hands on his inside made him shiver and trust his ass upwards ‘ calm down’ Henry laughed placing a hand on his lower spine and pushing him back to the bed ‘ you’re so sensitive’ he whispered and began to move his hands, ever so lightly. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ i can't stand this anymore’ henry said ‘ I'm going to be inside you, you’re ready for me’. Armie could only hear half of what Henry said, he was still in a state of euphoria. And when he was inside him, initially it was pain, but then he hit this spot that was hidden inside his body, it made him see stars and further into the galaxy. He couldn't hold himself any more ‘ I'm going to cum’ he said, ‘ ah.. Me too,’ Henry said. Armie moaned, this time louder, he was sure the people in the next dorm could hear him. But he was too occupied to think and worry about that. The feelings he had, he never felt them before, but he was sure he wanted more. <em>More.</em> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>                                          ***</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When he graduated and went back to the states, he promised  Henry that he was going to talk about them to his family. He was sure they would disown him. But it didn't matter, the  past three years with Henry were the best years of his life. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. That was the plan. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A few days after his arrival, he was called upon at his father’s office to discuss his future career options and his position in the company.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He decided that this was the perfect time. When he went to his office, his father was busy talking to his P.A and motioned him to take a seat. He waited for the assistant to go. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ I need to tell you something’ he said when the P.A left. He could sense the tension in the room. His father’s face took a grave expression, as if he knew what was coming</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ i am in love with this guy from college’ he said, trying not to look at his father ‘ I...I have decided to go back and find a job over there’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The disappointment in his father’s face was well evident, he didn't utter a word.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Few seconds passed and the silence became intolerable ‘ say something dad’ his voice trembled with emotions. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ say what ?’ his dad said ‘ what am i supposed to say’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ any thing’ Armie said ‘ curse me, scold me, do something’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He was surprised by the drop of tears coming from his father’s eyes. He had never seen his dad cry and now seeing him do that  and that too because of him  was painful, a weight suddenly appeared on his chest. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ I knew this was coming,’ his father said, shaking. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ it’s your life,  you are the  one to suffer for the  consequences of your decision’ </p>
<p>‘ so when you choose, choose wisely’ said his father with a trembling voice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ look at me and your mom’ his father continued ‘ there was love in the beginning, I am not denying that,  but now, the only reason I'm with her is because of you and your brother’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ what I'm trying to say is  that love is not constant, but your career is, love is an emotion it will fade but not your career’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ my son, I've been telling you this my whole life, if you have to choose between love and career, choose career’  his father paused.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘But all I can do is tell you, the one who is responsible for making the decision is you, and whatever you choose I will respect it, but choose wisely my son, I know you’re not stupid, i know you will make the wise decision’ his father said and dismissed him. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The ball was on Armie’s court, the burden to choose. There were two options in front of him, the path of uncertainty ; the one where he  makes a new life for himself or the path of simplicity ;  the one where he follows the route that was already paved for him. the path he chose made all the difference. </p>
<p>              ***</p>
<p><br/>( present)</p>
<p>The break up left them both  heartbroken, they stopped talking. Nick was still in contact with Him. he chose a career in journalism, which according to Armie was the best career for him. He met an indie filmmaker while working in Italy, fell in love, got married. And three years ago moved to Armie’s town, as the chief editor of a  media company. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Armie avoided him as much as possible. It is impossible for them to not see each other. He was the biggest business tycoon in the town and Henry was the chief editor of the biggest media in  town.  Media and business go hand in hand. Even if they meet, their conversation did not go beyond common courtesy. The old wounds were still hidden inside their hearts and neither of them chose to do anything about it. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Armie pushed through the crowd and walked towards henry. He was holding hands with his husband, a tinge of jealousy brushed past his mind. It would’ve been him, the thought scared him. <em>It would’ve been me and you, if only I had the courage</em>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ hey’ henry said ‘ you look amazing’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘ oh come on look at you, almost didn’t recognize  you’ </p>
<p> </p>
<p>There was silence, the unbearable silence. </p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>‘ mmm.. Enjoy the party’ he said and then left. He wanted to say a lot of things, he wanted to ask  for forgiveness, say he still loves him, that there goes no day without thinking about him, but as always armies choose to be silent.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
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</p>
<p>  </p>
<p>
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</p>
<p>  </p>
<p>
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</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Letter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>" whatever it may, I believe that there's nobody in this world who deserve to be loved more than him"</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>* Armie is a big asshole in this chapter, but I promise things will look bright for him in the future.<br/>* I found a picture of young Henry on Tumblr, he looked so much like Timmy, At least the curls. so roll with me when I say they resemble lol.<br/>* have fun!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>‘ oh you look so sad’ Timmy said brushing the tender leaves of his Pothos plant. ‘ These days are all so moody, I wish the sun came out a bit so that I can take you guys outside’ he said while unhooking the hanging plants from the ceiling  to water them. He went to the bathroom with a handful of lush green plants, opened the tap  and began to water them ‘ don't be so dull, you’re making me sad’ he placed each one of his plants on hooks installed in the bathroom wall.‘ I'm sorry I missed your watering schedule’ he said’ ‘ I was so busy this weekend, we had two marriages, and both of them had such complicated flowering details, oh I'm so tired, but you know what ?  it was worth it, the decorations looked heavenly’. He stroked the leaves of the plants, the water was still dripping down to the bathroom floor ‘ I’ll come back’ he waved to them and closed the door. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was early morning, the sun yet to rise. The town was still in deep slumber, the only sign of life was the chirping sound of the birds. He opened the window, a cold breeze entered  the room, he kept a bowl of water outside for the little birds and immediately closed the window because of the freezing breeze. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy opened his pc to check the mail, while having a cup of coffee. The strong scent of coffee from his cup filled the room. He was surprised when he saw the mail from Mr. Hammer. A sudden picture of the strange tall blonde man from his flower shop brushed through his mind. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The line of buildings, of which Timmy’s flower shop was a part of, was built in a joint agreement with the Hammers who are the land owners. Timmy’s grandfather owned the flower shop and the adjacent apartment building, the rest of the buildings were owned by Mr. Perlman. When Timmy’s grandma got sick, they sold the apartment buildings to the  Hammers but retained the flower shop. Over the course of  time, Mr. Perlman  sold a few of his buildings to them. A few years back, when Timmy's grandpa was still alive, they demanded to sell the entire building to them. Since they owned the majority of the property, the others are obliged to obey their decisions. but the dispute was easily settled. Ever Since then their relationship with the hammers were a bit rocky. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy was well aware of this history to know that a  personal email from Mr. Hammer himself would not bring any good news. The mail included a NDA agreement enclosed with a letter.  if he signed this document he would have to keep quiet about the information in the letter. He hesitated a bit  but his curiosity  won over.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Chalamet</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>I, Armie hammer, CEO of the hammer and co had met you in your flower shop, ever since then I cannot stop thinking about you. It's not in my nature to waste my time on such menial feelings nor do I like to beat around the bush. I'm coming straight to the point, I want to make love to you. Only then will this feeling go away. However, if you refuse this offer, I would forget the peace agreement and buy the one last property of yours. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>By the time he finished reading, he was sweating. He has read many novels where the main lead threatens his romantic interest with such agreements, but to actually experience this in person was scary as hell. He got up from his chair and paced around not knowing what to do. This did not make any sense. As the minutes passed by, the tension accelerated. He struggled to  find answers to the questions arising in his mind;  he resolved to facetime Sersh and Flo.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘Timmy why are you calling so early in the morning’ Sersh moaned in a sleepy voice.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ is everything alright’ Flo said with concern.</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I don't know Flo, I don't know what’s happening’ he stumbled</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ why, what’s wrong ?’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He then narrated everything ; from the moment he came to the shop to the letter he received. By the time he was finished Flo’s mouth was wide open.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ Timmy this is serious’ she said</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ we will be there soon, we can talk this over’ Sersh assured. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was a little earlier than their work time when Sersh and Flo came to his shop. Flo looked really concerned but Sersh was chill. They reread the entire letter to make some sense out of it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ this is basic violation of humans right Timmy’ Flo’s face was red with anger ‘just because he is rich doesn't mean he owns people’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I don't know why you guys are making a big fuzz about it’ Sersh said in a casual tone ‘  this is a good thing, just do as he says, all your problems will be solved,  you can stop worrying about the property, plus you’ll get free sex’ she jumped and sat on the table near the kitchen and looked at them, grinning.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ It's not that simple’ Flo defended ‘ it’s  scary to think about those freaks out there with their strangest kinks’ she continued ‘ what if he wanted some dangerous stuff, my poor Timmy’ she looked at him with compassion.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I don’t find anything wrong with having kinks; given that it’s consensual’ Sersh defended.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ can’t you see’ Flo’s voice became high pitched ‘ this is not consensual he is practically threatening’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ stop arguing both of you’ Timmy said ‘ I'm really scared and lost’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ there’s nothing to worry about’ Flo assured ‘ you contact your lawyer, let’s deal with this legally’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I don't think that’s a good idea’ Sersh argued ‘ this is Armie hammer, he is powerful, I don't know if we can win him’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ we can try’ Flo commented</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was then settled that they were to contact his lawyer and move things legally for that was the only logical solution they could find. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Armie was in his office  when Nick bursted the door and entered with full rage. He had a paper in his hand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ you son of a bitch, why did you do that’ Nick said</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Armie was confused, he did not understand the reason for this anger ‘ what did I do’ he asked</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ the boy’ he said ‘ why did you threaten him, you know if this goes out, it could ruin your reputation’ he continued ‘ how could you be so careless, people are just waiting for some news to rip you off and now this’ he sighed</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ okay calm down’ Armie said ‘ I did not threaten him, I just asked him to sleep with me’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ but why?’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I don't know’ Armie shrugged his shoulders ‘ I felt so’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘  you felt so ?’ nick repeated ‘this is not how you do this Armie’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ what else am I supposed to do, I'm a married man I can't go and ask him out, or are you going to pimp him for me’ Armie said sarcastically</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick was tired of this bullshit; he was well aware how rude armie can be, but  this was too much. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ you can't threaten people to sleep with you’ he said </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I told you, I didn't threaten, I VERY POLITELY asked him to make love’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ then why did you write that if he refuse the offer you would consider buying his property ?’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ we were already planning to buy them, don't you remember?’ he asked </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ Yhea, but this is not how you discuss it’ Nick argued</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I know, but I was desperate’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Desperate for what , he wanted to ask but he already knew why. He hates to bring Henry into their conversation, he avoided it as much as possible but he felt this was getting off limit </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ Why’ Nick asked ‘ because he resembles henry?’  he could see the colour in Armie’s face change</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ no, Henry was way muscular when he was the boy’s age and the jawbones are different’ he defended ‘ how would you know how the boy looked like?’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ because I went to meet his lawyer today, they are going to register a complaint against you’ Nick shouted ‘ you do know how serious this is?’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ luckily I managed to invite them for a negotiation, but say goodbye to your plan to buy the entire property, in return you get to keep your reputation’ Armie couldn't even say anything before Nick stormed out of the office. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘Timmy’ Flo said ‘take a deep breath, everything's going to be alright’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He took a deep breath, it’s been two days since he had a proper sleep and it was showing under his eyes. He brushed his wild curls, trying not to think about anything. Sersh was sitting across his mirror chewing her nails, she seemed more anxious than before. She got up and walked towards Timmy and snatched the comb from him ‘ here, let me do this’ she said. And began to tame his wild hair. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ don't worry, there’s nothing to be anxious about’ she said</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ yes Timmy’ Flo nodded in agreement ‘ you’ve got this’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ can you guys please stop talking’ he said ‘ you’re making me nervous’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When he went to the lawyers office they were already waiting for him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I'm sorry I'm late’ he said, trying not to look at Armie and Nick.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His lawyer initiated the conversation, Timmy was too anxious to follow what he was talking so he bent his head and focused his attention on the black band in his hand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘This property is important to my client’ his lawyer said ‘ it holds a lot of sentimental value’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ yes we understand’ Nick said ‘ we’ve talked this over  in the flower shop, there’s a few paperwork to be done and we’ll settle this officially’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ there’s nothing to settle’ Armie interrupted ‘ my word is final, either you agree with me or consider your property gone’ he said looking Timmy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy couldn't believe this guy, he could feel his sharp eyes on him. He gathered all his courage and looked back at him. There was a storm in those blue eyes. The intensity of his gaze scared him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick was also startled by this interruption. He excused them from the room. ‘ I'm sorry Mr. Davidson, Give us a minute’ he dragged Armie out of the room. ‘ I think that man is determined’ his lawyer said ‘it’s time for you to choose one’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The building is important to Timmy, it was his childhood. After his parents death, he lived with his grandparents, they never made him miss his parents. The flower shop is all that left of them. It made him  less alone. The shop made him feel that they are with him. It’s what kept him moving forward. So when it came to this, it was easy to make a decision. He would not lose his flower shop. If that means he has to put up with whatever that man asks him to do. He was willing to do it, everything for the flower shop. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When they came back after five minutes, Timmy more or less had accepted his fate.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> ‘ my client is not willing to take back his offers’ Nick said, defeated.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ we understand’ his lawyer said ‘as Isaid before, the flower shop is important,  we’re agreeing to your proposal but there are some conditions’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘  please tell them’ Nick said</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ everything that happens between them should be consensual, there shouldn't be any violence or mental abuse, I’ll prepare a detailed version of this and mail it to you’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick looked at Armie ‘ I agree to every one of your conditions, just mail a detailed list of your conditions, I'll read through them and sign the deal’ his tone was casual, which irritated Timmy. As if he doesn't care. Timmy’s face became red.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘It is settled then’ his lawyer said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> ***</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Friday, a week after the meeting. According to their agreement, Timmy was supposed to meet him for this weekend. The entire week he was stressed out for that. No matter how hard he tried not to think about it, he couldn’t resist his thoughts. And that day his anxiety came to a peek. Flo and Sersh tried their best to console him but this evil feeling did not go away. He wishes he could run away from this mess. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Around 7 in the evening a man in the black suit came to the shop </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I came to pick you up Mr. Chalamet’ he said in a mechanical tone</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ oh.. Hmm give me a moment’ he said and disappeared into the shop.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Flo and Sersh were still in his apartment  to run the shop while he was gone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> ‘Did he come?’ Flo asked</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ no he sent a driver’ Timmy said and went to his bedroom to pick his backpack. He came back to the living room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ don't forget to water the plants, the water chart is in the kitchen, the Smiths would be visiting tomorrow for their daughters wedding hmmm and...’ Timmy stubbled</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ yes, yes we will take care of everything, don't worry about this’ Flo said and kissed him on his forehead ‘ my poor Timmy, I love you’ she said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He felt like crying. He held his tears back and said goodbye to them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ fuck him hard’ Sersh shouted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy was escorted to a big house on a cliff  facing the sea. It was the only house in the area. The majority of the house was made of plain glass. He could see the back of a man reading a sleek black piano from the outside. The driver opened the door for him. The man got up from the piano and walked towards them. ‘ you can go now, Mat’ he said. Timmy almost wishes for Mat to not go. He was the safe net, keeping him away from armie, and when he is gone, he will be alone with Armie. This though shuddered his inside.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mat did not utter a word and went back to the car. Timmy saw him drive away. <em>Take me with you</em>. He stared at the moving car. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ what are you doing there’ Armie said ‘come here’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Armie was sitting on a couch which faced directly to the sea. If it wasn't for this  Timmy would’ve loved this place. It was beautiful. Armie patted the couch and motioned Timmy to sit near him. He did as he was told. it was too close, his knees brushed against armie’s. He brought his arms together trying not to touch him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Armie moved closer. He brushed Timmy’s wild curls and tucked one of his hair behind his ears and bit the  lobe of his ear. the moan of that man ringed in his ear. ‘You’re so beautiful’ he sighed and locked his hands on Timmy's waist.   </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ don't be so cruel, Timothee’ he frowned. ‘ respond to me’ he took Timmy's arm and put it on his shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I can't,’ Timmy said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Armie paused, he locked his eyes with him ‘ what do you mean you can't ?’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy was sweating ‘ I don't know, I just don't... often... feel attracted to people’ he said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Armie moved away from Timmy, leaned back on the couch ‘ are you asexual?’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I thought I was’ Timmy said ‘ but no, I do get attracted but it takes time to warm up to people’ he said. He was partly relieved that he let this out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ that so silly’ Armie laughed. Blood rushed through Timmy, the hatred for him grew even more.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I don't care,’ Armie said, ‘when I do something respond,’ he commanded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy was not surprised. He did not expect any mercy from him. He didn't say anything. He cursed his powerlessness. Fighted to hold his tears back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ Moan, moan as much you want, I would like to hear what kind of sound that mouth of yours can produce’ he came close to Timmy and  bit his lower lip. ‘ moved that as well, that turns me on’ he said and pressed his hands on his hips. Timmy’s heart raced fast, the fear made him motionless. He was relieved when he heard a phone ringing. Armie was not pleased by this sound. He got up and went near the piano, in which the phone was resting.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ hello’ he said. Whatever the news he received, it sure was a bad one. Timmy could make out the color changing in his face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ yeah, I’ll be there soon’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ no Nick, I will call Mat he just left half an hour ago’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ do one thing, come pick this boy’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span>He put his phone down. ‘ I need to go, ah.. It’s my dad, he’s sick’ for the first time that night  he felt Armie was a human, there was concern in his eyes which made him vulnerable.  </span><em>Maybe deep down in his cold rocky hear there was something of a kindness left</em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He went upstairs, and Timmy was left alone. He felt calm. He thanked whatever deity that heard his prayers. He sat on the couch unable to move. A few minutes later a car pulled up in front of the house,  Armie came back from the upstairs with a bag in his hand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ Nick, my lawyer will come and pick you up’ he said ‘ you have to wait a bit’ he gave him nick’s number ‘ call him if you need anything’ and he left.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once alone, Timmy was fully able to process the things that had happened. He finally let himself cry. He felt alone, humiliated and helpless. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was woken up by the sound of somebody entering the house. He stared at the white walls and the clear glass panels. It took him a while to realise that he was not in his own home.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ did I wake you up?’ he heard a man's voice from behind. He raised his head from the couch. It was the lawyer.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ no it’s fine’ he said</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ if you want we can't spend the night here and go tomorrow’ Nick whispered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ no, I want to go home’ he said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The road was empty, the sea was on his side. He didn't check the  time but it was way past midnight. The halfmoon was sinking into the dark blue sea. There was no wave in them, <em>they were probably sleeping</em>, he thought. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘Are you alright’ he heard Nick say. He didn't reply.</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I'm sorry’ Nick said but Timmy remained silent, keeping his eye on the tideless sea.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ he can be a bit insensitive’ Nick stammered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There is something about Nick that made him calm. The way he talked, the way he smiled made Timmy safe around him. There was kindness in him which Armie lacked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ why do you love him so much?’ Timmy asked. ‘ he doesn't deserve it, you’re too good for him’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This time Nick remained silent, startled, trying to find some answer.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I don't know if it’s love or sympathy that I feel’ he finally spoke</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ whatever it may, I believe that there's nobody in this world who deserve to be loved more than him’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ he deserves everything Thimothee, he deserves happiness, but I don't know how to give him that  ’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He turned his head towards Timmy ‘ he’s my sorrow’ Nick grinned, but there was pain in that smile. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span><em>He’s my sorrow</em>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p><br/>
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</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p><br/>
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</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you for taking time to read this :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The One Who Is Left Behind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Me and you. </p>
<p>You beneath me or me beneath you.</p>
<p>just me and you. </p>
<p>That's all I need, </p>
<p>That's all I ever wanted.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>* this chapter is a close look at Nick and Armie's relationship.<br/>* I believe this will be the last chapter with flashbacks, once done with this we can focus more Timmy and Armie.<br/>* I know there is too much love and lovelessness, please bear with me :/</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was not easy to not notice him. Even Though he tried his best to blend in, he stood out. It was not because he was tall, it could be one of the reasons. But It was also those honey blonde hair, the wicked smile or those ocean blue eyes. Whatever the reason may, He was made to stand out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So when Nick first saw Armie, his eyes naturally followed him. His course demanded a close attention to politics and business and to not recognize that face would be a crime. He has seen that face in the newspaper for countless times. ‘ Armie Hammer?’ he asked the boy when the campus tour was over. Armie nodded, scratching the back of his head. The boy seemed too startled. Nick felt bad for scaring him like that. ‘I’ll see you around’ he said and immediately cleared the scene. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was not the reaction Nick had expected from him. He looked bold and intimidating, but in reality  he was very quiet and reserved. Nick often found Armie walking through the campus all alone. Months later, after they became good friends, he asked Armie why he walked alone. ‘I like that’ was his simple reply.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was true tho. Armie had found many trivial details about their university which Nick had failed to notice despite living there for the past two years. And everything he found  was through his countless hours of lonely expedition. ‘ do you know there are five routes to get to my class from the dorm?’ he said. ‘ The most efficient one is the third one, but  the second one, it’s much more beautiful’. When he talked, he talked fast,  As if the other person might lose his attention. So when he speaks he includes everything in short sentences and finishes his conversation as fast as possible. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The beginning of their friendship  was the most mundane, seemingly meaningless story ever. Nick saw Armie sitting in the cafeteria all by himself. It pains him to see somebody he knows sit alone. So he volunteered to give him company but Armie rejected  ‘ no man I'm fine alone’ he said. He still felt bad so he gave him his number ‘ feel free to call me if you need anything’ he said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few days later he got a call from Armie, it was late at night. ‘ do you know any good dry cleaning service near us ?’ he asked, the question was so sudden and unexpected. ‘ yeah, there’s one near the science department’ Nick said. ‘ no, not that one, I tried them, awful service’ Nick was not prepared for this question at the middle of the night. ‘ I don't know Armie, I'll ask around and tell you?’ he said ‘ that’d be great’ Armie replied and hung up the call.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> A month later he got another midnight call from Armie, this time he needed a  storage box which had a size of 33*29*18. ‘ you can’t do it with any other size?’ Nick asked to which Armie replied ‘no’ and then he explained ‘ my shirts are long, normal boxes won't fit them perfectly’ Nick never bothered to store his clothes on boxes, he just dumped everything on the wardrobe. ‘ did you check the department stores?’ he asked ‘ I checked everywhere, I've been searching for them the past two months’. Armie sighed,' it was late at night, at first he thought Armie was just joking, but he was serious. Nick wanted laugh but he controlled it, ‘ we can search  it tomorrow?’ he said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They spent the next weekend searching for a cloth storage box, they did not succeed in finding one so he shipped it from home. Armie was like that, he was extremely organized, his dorm looked like a stock photo. Nick was amazed at how ordered Armie was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe that’s why he was surprised when he came to know about Henry and Armie. Henry was the complete opposite: in other words, one big mess. Despite their differences, it cannot be denied that they complimented each other. Nick had never seen Armie this happy.  They were always together, throwing secret glances when apart, laughing at some inside jokes, holding hands. Everything was perfect.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was an evening at David’s apartment. He was alone with Armie in the balcony ‘ so this is a thing then’ Nick said, looking at Henry who was in the living room, trying to give a speech to Tyler. ‘ I guess it’s a thing,’ Armie replied. They could hear the sound of laughter coming from the living room. After a pause Armie spoke again ‘ ahmm..how do you know if it’s love?’ It was such a simple question yet Nick struggled to find an answer. ‘ I don’t know,  it's kind of confusing to me. I had fallen in love many times and fallen out of it as well. I don't regret any of it'. he continued ‘ what I’m trying to say is, I cannot limit myself to just one person, I tried, it didn't work, there are countless people out there who has so much to offer and sometimes I feel like to know them all, that kind of sounds crazy’ he laughed ‘ that is what love is to me, it is to explore, that may not be for you, or you may not know what it is ; not  yet, but it's okay, don't think too much and go with it , lets see where it'll take you’.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He graduated a year before them, moved to the city and found a job. He was still in touch with his college friends, they visited him regularly. It was one such visits, but this time Armie was not there ‘ he’s not coming?’ he asked Henry. ‘No, we have exams next week, you know him, he’s not going anywhere until it’s over’ Henry smiled. Nick  felt a t tinge of disappointment. It was the same evening Henry told him that he loved Armie. ‘ I love him’ he said ‘ but I’m too scared to tell him ’ henry lifted the cigar and took a puff from it ‘ it’s been almost two years and I have still not told him how much I loved him’ he continued ‘ it would be overwhelming for him.. You know how he is’ he looked at Nick. ‘ it’s okay dude’ Nick patted his back ‘ he knows you love him, he would appreciate you being not vocal about your affection’ ‘ and for a fact, I know he loves you too, maybe even more than you’  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As much surprised he was when he found out about them dating, he was even more surprised when he knew they broke up. Neither of them spoke about it, nor did he ask anything. Years have passed but even now when he visit Henry, he get the look from him, he know what the look meant, he would say what was happening in Armie’s life, and there will be a certain glow in his face. The same was with Armie, when ever he comes back from Henry, his eyes would plead to know the details about him. The look on his face when he talked about him was the same as Henry’s. It’s almost absurd to think how they can live without each other, it’s very difficult to find people who fit  perfectly. And they did fit together, and to see them apart was such a pain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was so caught up in these two, he failed to acknowledge his own feelings. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The feelings he ignored for so long, came to him in the form of a dream : in the shape of a blonde man. The face was too familiar for him to ignore. What most surprised him was that he could smell him in the dream : fresh mint from his aftershave, musk of his Cologne with a ginger undertone, the leathery shoe polish, the earthy smell from his shampoo, citrus from his detergent. It was a mixture of all these smells, a smell that solely belongs to him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he woke up, the phantom of the smell still lingered in the bedroom. The dream felt real, as if his mind is telling him what he never had the guts to admit himself. He was never the same again, the dream changed him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a task to move on with his life, with this feeling hidden inside him. He spent most of his time with Armie. And this sudden awareness of his inner desire made it painful to be with him. He tried his best to not be alone with him. But that's nearly impossible.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They did everything together : they went to golf together, gym together, worked together. There are mornings when he walked into the gym so carefree, completely unaware of Nick's feelings. The mere sight of him in gym outfit was enough to kick in his adrenaline. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The way his chest rises and falls when he lifts weights, or the majestic hump of his biceps. The veins on his hands. The tiny beads of sweat on his forehead . The messed up bed hair. the toned legs.  The sweat covered grey t-shirt, the black shorts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a miracle how he managed to stay sane after watching that. And of course Armie was unaware of the turmoil going through his head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then the business trip came. The thing he dreaded. They've been together for so long that they never booked separate suites when they travelled. They were comfortable with each other, until now. 'Book another suite for me' he said. 'Why?' Armie  asked.<em> Because if we did not, I don't think I'll be able to control myself,</em> was what he wanted to say ' people are talking behind our back' he said instead. 'talking what Nick?' Armie said casually. ' that we're in some sort of an affair' there was indeed a rumor like that, in fact there was even a talk that they were lovers from college. 'Ah they always talk Nick, let them do, I don't care' Armie continued ' in fact I'm looking forward to it, these are the only times I can actually escape the boring nights with Liz, don't steal this small happiness from me' </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><em>I'm looking forward to it</em>, a weird sense of hope engulfed Nick. He suddenly brushed this thought. <em>No, don't get your hopes high, you'll be disappointed</em></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a two days trip. Armie left the meeting a  bit earlier than Nick. When he came back to the room, Armie was lying on the couch. He was not asleep, just staring at the darkness outside the open window. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick loosed his tie, unbuttoned the top of his shirt and folded the sleeves of his shirt. He went to the bar which was diagonal to the couch.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'You did not sleep' he asked</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' I was waiting for you,' Armie replied, still lying on the couch. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick poured a glass of scotch  ' want some?' He asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'No, I'll pass ' he said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick was mentally exhausted to strike a new conversation so he remained silent. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Armie stretched his body, the couch was too small for him, his legs were falling from the couch, touching the ground. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' what's wrong with you Nicki’ He asked</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Nothing's wrong' he said. A sudden rush of pain jolted to his heart,  <em>could he possibly know</em>?. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Don't lie' he said sitting up in the couch 'I've been noticing you for the past few weeks' </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What was he supposed to say?, Armie caught him off guard. He drank the scotch, trying to ignore his question. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'You can't lie to me' he repeated  'I'm not stupid to not understand the look you give me or they way you avoid my eyes’'</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick was so confused by this conversation, <em>what is he trying to say?, Am I reading this correctly? </em></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'What else am I supposed to do' he asked ' we're friends, there are some boundaries between us, I can't act stupid' </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He expected Armie to say something but he went back to the couch again, staring at the ceiling, not uttering a word.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The silence was unbearable. Nick got up from his chair and went near Him. Armie turned his eyes towards him’. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'What? ' he asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'What' Armie replied. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His hands reached out to him. Armie took his hand and got up from the couch. Now they are equal, Standing face to face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For the first time that evening, he looked at Armies eyes and in those he saw the same yearning , the same passion, the same fear. As if he too was fighting a war in his head for one wrong move from their part could ruin everything they have built together. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Fuck it' nick said and kissed him. It was then he realized how much starved he was for those lips. It was like drinking the elixir of life. He wanted more. He cupped his hand on Armie’s head and pushed him to the couch. The poor couch was too small for two tall men struggling to quench their thirst.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once the line was crossed it became easy for them to move from there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The air became hot with want and need. It was a battlefield in bed, the mere force with which both of them grabbed each other was enough for them to mold together as one entity. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And that night, when they made love for the first time, it was a new experience for him. He had done everything anyone could ever imagine. With men, with women sometimes with both. This was nothing like those. As if he was running all around the world searching for a home and that night he found it inside Armie. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And when Armie cried his name while he was inside him, and it was his name and not Henry's. The mere sound of it in his mouth was enough to make Nick hard.  when his right hand gripped Nick's shoulder or when he grabbed Nick's neck and sucked on the nape of his neck, it was enough for him, anything more than that would be too much to ask. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> <em>Me and you. </em></span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You beneath me or me beneath you.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>just me and you. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>That's all I need, </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span><em>That's all I ever wanted</em>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And when all was said and done, when they were both tired. When they no longer was one but two different bodies only connected by their hands, Armie said ' I hope this doesn't change anything'</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'It won't ' he replied. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie turned to his side and looked at him ' don't expect anything more from me Nick, I have nothing to give you, my heart doesn't belong to me'</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick grinned,  even when  he said 'I know' , even when  he knew that there’s nothing more to their relationship, still it hurts to hear those words from him. To know that there will never be more. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>          ***</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The dawn was breaking, Timmy fell asleep in the car. They've been driving for two hours straight, he felt tired. He took a mental note to get some sleep before  work. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He did not understand Armie’s obsession with this boy. He has seen the look on his face at the lawyer's meeting. He has never seen that look before. He was scared to think about it. It was almost a madness. Sure he had some strange resemblance with  Henry, but that was it. They have two different personalities, if it was Henry in his place, he would've killed Armie for the way he behaved. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He felt a pinch of jealousy. He also saw how devastated Timmy was, which made him want to protect the boy at all cost. <em>the dichotomy!</em></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they reached his flower shop, he felt guilty for waking him up, he looked so peaceful in his sleep. '<em>Timothée</em>’ He said ‘we're here'. It took Timmy a while to regain his sense. 'Oh, thank you' he said in a sleepy voice. ' do you want to come inside?' Timmy asked. Nick did not expect that offer but' sure' he said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The flower shop was the coziest place he has ever been. When he first came to this shop to talk about the mail he was too busy to devour its beauty. up close it felt like a place send from heaven, after all nothing could go wrong with flowers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Two girls came running towards Timmy when they entered the shop. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' Timmy, what happened' the girl with pink hair said</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' a long story' he replied. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><em>He looked so comfortable with them,</em> Nick  thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'This is a nice place' he interrupted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Maybe you should say that to your boss' the pink girl said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Nick laughed ' maybe we can lock him in this place, who knows, he may fall in love with this' he said</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' I don't think it will ever happen, he would probably destroy all this within minutes, ' the  girl commented. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blonde girl nudged her asking  to keep quiet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He laughed looking at Timmy ' y'all sure does hate him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>he walked around the shop, he wanted to come back here, if possible everyday, he could even stay here. he settled to buy some white daisies before leaving.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' thank you for yesterday' Timmy said, handing over the bouquet. ' I guess I have to see you again?'</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A flash embarrassment ran through Nick's face ' I guess so ' </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' if then can we be friends?' he said giving hand to Nick ' I'll be at peace knowing that you'll be there if anything goes wrong'</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For some reason Nick felt that was the most innocent thing, this time he smiled with his heart. ' don't worry' he winked at him and waved him goodbye. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once he got home, he put those daisies from the flower shop on a vase. He removed his coat, sat on his couch and dialed Armie</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'How's your father' </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'He's fine' he said. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Lime Tree</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>he was desperate, for some warmth, for something, something to distract him from his mind wandering of to different things</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>stay happy and safe fellow readers !</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It took an entire week for his father to regain his consciousness, Armie stayed with him all the while. ‘You don’t have to stay Armie, I have people here to look after me’ his father said once he was able to talk. ‘No dad, I’m free this week’ he lied, he has seen his father in a hospital bed  many times, but it still felt weird. He is not the father he once knew. And the thought of leaving him alone made him sad. ‘I’d rather stay here’ he whispered. His father turned his head away from him and let out a deep sigh ‘I’m sorry,’ he said ‘ I ‘m sorry for not being there for you, for not supporting you’ he turned his head back and took his arms in his hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie was at loss, he sat there with his father, in the comfort of silence. ‘Go home son’ his father said, breaking the stillness ‘ I’ve asked a lot from you, I can’t ask more’ he did not argue and left the hospital.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Only once at home, back to normal life, did he think about Timmy. A tinge of embarrassment brushed his mind.<em> Why can’t I think properly when I am with this guy</em> he wondered. Even he was aware that his behavior was a bit fierce, and it mortified him. To think and worry was not in his nature so he decided to drive to the flower shop. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was relieved when he saw the light in the shop, through the glass windows he saw Timmy rushing to end his day. He guessed it was closing time, he hesitated a bit to disturb him but was suddenly overtaken with a desire to meet him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy’s face when Armie suddenly burst open the door was similar to that of a kitten seeing his predator. It was red with fear. He dropped a bunch of flowers in his hands and stood there. Armie could sense the fear he imparted on the boy. An inner feeling of remorse and shame crept towards his body. He wanted to apologize for his reckless behavior, but couldn’t find any words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie leaned down and took all the flowers from the floor and gave it back to Timmy. He was still in his state of shock. ‘ wh… wh.. What do you want?’ he stammered.‘ I dropped by to see you’ was his quick reply. ‘Oh’ Timmy said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘How is your dad?’ Timmy asked to fill in the silence. Armie was moved by this question. <em>After all the things i’ve done to him, he was decent enough to ask this</em>. ‘He’s fine’ Armie replied.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy was yet to recover from the initial shock of seeing Armie. His hands were still trembling. Armie for once wished Timmy would be less afraid of him, but it was his fault, Timmy has all the rights to be afraid of him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘What are you doing after this?’ he asked. Timmy was still  holding the flowers Armie gave him. ‘ I am going to sleep , have a busy day tomorrow’ <em>of course he’s going to sleep</em>. Armie wanted to stay there a bit longer but it was already awkward so he decided to go back. </span>
</p>
<p>   ***</p>
<p>
  <span>He got caught up in so much work that he nearly forgot Timmy’s existence for the past two months. It was a night, he came back home from a tedious day at work, he was looking forward to sleep. He was already in bed reading a book and Liz was at the night stand doing her ritual night time routine ‘ what should we do for your birthday’ she asked, it was then he remembered that it was his birthday next month. ‘ nothing’ he said ‘ I’d like to do nothing’ he was not the kind of a person who likes to celebrate his birthday, but ever since marrying Liz that habit came to a halt. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘ to not celebrate your birthday? Are you kidding me’ she laughed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was tired of all the celebrations. The thought of bearing that fuckery drained the hell out of him. ‘ I’m serious Liz’ he said, keeping his book on the side table. Liz was not keen on dropping the topic, she said  ‘ why do I have to convince you every single time, for once can you agree without me pushing you?’ Armie was tired ‘ and you never listen to me’ he said turning his back on Liz and motioning to sleep. ‘Well I don’t care.’ she said  ‘ we’re going to have a party’. Blood rushed through his veins ‘ well then you have to celebrate it without me’ he said and stormed out of the room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To spend one more minute in that house would be a torture so he got his car keys and went out. He Initially planned to go to Nick's place, usually when they argued he seeked asylum at Nick’s. But Nick was out to meet a friend and  Armie didn't want to be alone in Nick’s apartment. Most of the time Armie preferred to be let alone  but his profession doesn't let him be but there are few vulnerable moments when he craved a human company. This was one of those. For an hour or so he drove through the city and then a wild idea seized him. It was almost midnight but he didn’t care, he took his phone and texted Timmy </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I’m coming over’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was on his way  to Timmy's house when his phone rang, as he anticipated it was Timmy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' Hello' Timmy's voice cracked as he spoke</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Umm.. I'm…  I was planning to sleep,  he continued ' can we meet some other day? This is so sudden and random' </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' so you're not going out or anything' he said ' that's great, I'm not planning to disturb your sleep, I can sleep with you ' he said, he was desperate, for some warmth, for something, something to distract him from his mind wandering of to different things ' it would give you some time to warm up to me ' he added for the sake of bringing some logic to an otherwise illogical demand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy did not reply, Armie could hear his breathing from the phone. And then he sighed ' well, umm.. Okay'</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The street was deserted when he pulled over, it felt empty with the flower shop closed. He got out of his car and went to a door adjacent to the flower shop, Timmy was waiting in front of it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He seemed a bit anxious which was reasonable. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The mere sight of Timmy somehow brought a bit of joy inside Armie. He went near him. Timmy motioned towards his apartment which was upstairs. It’s been a long time since he was in an apartment that was this cramped ; it was so small and intimate. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first word that ran through Armie's mind when he saw Timmy's apartment was "jungle" It was filled with plants, he suppressed a surprise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Umm… so? ' Timmy said bowing his head down to hide his anxiety. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Neither did Armie know the answer to Timmy's 'so', the decision to come here was so impulsive, once there he was at loss. Too awkward. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Hmm.. You know… ' he mumbled ' since you said you need time to warm up, I thought we will take things slow'</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Hmm.. ' Timmy let out a sigh. ' next time give me some time to prepare ' he said</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy brought them to his bedroom. Armie was relieved to see a queen sized bed which was more than enough to accommodate his body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The bed had a canopy which was made of hanging plants, that did not surprise him. No amount of plants could surprise him anymore. It was a thin plant with a purple trail and heart shaped leaf. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He removed his sweatshirt and beneath it was a white cotton vest. Timothee was startled to see him like that. He did not remove the sweatpants because he knew that'd be a lot for him. Neither was he in a mood to do anything. He just wanted to sleep peacefully and for some reason he thought Timmy could give him that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took  the left side of the bed, it was comfortable and warm and smelled like Timmy. The smell of citrus and mint. He had an urge to swallow  that smell in, to devour it for the rest of his life. Timmy was still on his toes. ' I told you, I'm not going to do anything,' Armie assured. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy took the right side, he was so far from Armie, as far as possible. Armie lied down looking at the plant canopy. A single strand of plant brushed through his face, he raised his hands to take it out of his face when Timmy suddenly jumped over him and took his hands ' don't kill my plants' he said earnestly. ' I was.. ' Armie was about to defend him when Timmy interrupted. 'I'll take this away' he said ' also I don't want them to see us together' he said and unhooked the plants and went to the kitchen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie couldn't control his laughter  <em>did he really say that he didn't want the plants  to see them together</em></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Timmy came back to the room, Armie's face was red with laughter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' stop laughing' Timmy said</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' does the frequency of my laughter kill your plants? ' he mocked Timmy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' please stop laughing' he said ' it's scary' </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Scary? ' Armie repeated. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' yes scary, a strange giant laughing in my own bedroom, it sure is scary' he said </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'When you put it that way, it does sounds scary' Armie admitted. ' what should I do to make it less scary? ' he asked genuinely. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' stop talking, that’s all you have to do' Timmy replied. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He did as he was told, when it became completely silent, Timmy took a deep breath. Trying to take everything in, he then slid into his bed, Armie by his side. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Goodnight Thimothee ' he said and was about to close his eyes when he heard Timmy say ' don't sleep' Armie was surprised by this ' you came  here to warm up to me so talk' he said gathering up all his courage. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'You told me to keep quiet,' Armie said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' and now I'm telling you to talk'. Armie was surprised by this sudden change in his demeanour. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' what should I talk ? ' he asked</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' anything' Timmy replied ' why did you come Today? '</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' I felt so,' Armie replied, though Timmy was not convinced by this reply still 'hmm' he moaned. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' nice apartment' Armie commented to distract Timmy from further questioning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy smiled and thanked him. A few seconds later he spoke again ' It was inspired from Dakota Johnson's house ' he said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' who's she? ' Armie asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy's eyes widened ' you don't know her? She's an amazing actress' he said</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Oh' Armie said, taking a mental  note of that name. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' her house is a dream, the shades of brown and orange and the green kitchen’ he said excitedly  ' the green kitchen is my dream' he sighed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie let out a small grin ' do you cook? ' he asked</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Not really' he replied ' but still I'd like to have a green kitchen, and a backyard with lime trees' </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Armie pictured Timmy near the  lime tree, <em>even the fresh lime wouldn't be able to compare with the freshness of this guy </em>, he thought to himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He lifted his hands and placed them on Timmy’s waist ;  it was tiny, perfect for his big hands.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The image of Timmy  struck his mind, the most calming thing ever, he could hear Timmy speaking about the benefit of lemons in the background but his mind drifted off to the same image of Timmy sitting under a big tree and then it faded to a faint dream. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>*** </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick met Jessie on a cruise trip to Hawaii, he was the captain of the ship, it was a few years back. Ever since then whenever Jessie came to their town, he visited him. They seldom get a chance to meet because Jessie was always traveling. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was on his way back from Jessie, he called the office and made sure that he'll be late. And when he entered the office a little later than usual  there was some change in the atmosphere, there was some strange buzz from each corner. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He saw a crowd in Armies office, his heart leapt a bit, <em>did something happen to him?</em>. He ran towards the office and pushed through the crowds. Armie was tall enough to see from the crowd, he was fine, a wave relief shot through his body. When he went near the office he saw  Mrs. Smith, Armie’s P A lying on the couch, unconscious. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Somebody call the emergency' Armie shouted</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick jostled through the crowd and went near him ' what happened' he asked, panting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' I don't know,' Armie said, 'I called her to ask about the meeting with Mr. Kngitly, she entered, she paused and pointed a finger at me and then blacked out' he said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><em>That's strange</em>, Nick thought. He heard Luke shout ' she's, waking up'</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick and Armie marched towards her ' are you alright? ' he asked. She was motiong to get up, her face seemed pale, Luke handed her a bottle of water, she drank them like she hasn't touched water in ages. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'What happened? ' Luke asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She moved her head towards Armie and said 'Mr. Hammer…  sm.. Smiled at me '</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Hurt</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Strange things happened in the office, it started with his smile and then progressed to him singing,  whistling while walking, staring at a wall and grinning, talking to himself. Things took a peak when the employees came to an office covered with plants. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘That’s it’ Nick said ‘ stop this Armie’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Stop what?’ he asked</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick pointed towards his lush green office ‘ this’ he said</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ what happened to you’ he asked even though he knew the answer. <em>It's Thimothee</em>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I don't know Nick’ he murmured ‘ it’s like I can’t stop thinking about him’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I tried my best to not to, but the more I control the more strong the thoughts  becomes'</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I don't know what to do about it’ he said helplessly </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick was baffled and hurt to see Armie head over heels for that guy. It was written all over his face; blushing like a Smitten kitten .</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Nick cleared his throat, trying to conceal his disappointment. He had a bunch of files in his hands, he place them over his table and said ' sign them when you're over with your daydreaming'</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was about to leave the office when he heard Armie call him ' Nick' he said ' do you know about Dakota Johnson? '</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'What about her? ' Nick asked, astonished. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'We might have to purchase one of her property' he said</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'which one? '</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' the one where she's living' he said</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' is it for sale? ' he asked</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'No' Armie replied. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick let out a deep sigh, 'how can we buy a property if she's not willing to sell?' </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'That's for you to figure out' he said grinning. He got up from his chair took the files that Nick gave him ' I'm leaving a bit early' he said, went to open the door and paused ' I think she's moving out with her boyfriend, that'd make our life easier, if not, we have to use the good old method of blackmailing' he winced at him and went out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><em>Armie.. Armie.. Armie</em> he sighed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy was in his shop  with a customer when Armie entered the shop, this was the first time he was seeing him after their night together. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy was not as surprised as Flo or sersh. They both looked as if a bomb just dropped in the shop. They  looked at Timmy, he blinked his eyes assuring them that everything is fine. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Armie first came into his apartment he was overtaken by fear but somewhere along that night he was able to see a man who was so lonely and desperate for something human, he himself was fighting the battle of  loneliness, so he was able to sympathize with him. Or maybe he wanted somebody too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gave Armie his key and asked him to go upstairs as he was not done with his work. He then continued the meeting with the customer but his mind was still with Armie. <em>Strange</em>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Around five, Sersh and Flo left the shop,  he decided to close a bit early. When he opened the door to his apartment he was hit with a strong smell of barbeque meat. <em>If only everyday I was welcomed by this.</em> </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He saw Armie, fully concentrated in the kitchen, so much that he missed Timmy being there. 'What are you doing' he asked. Armie was quite startled to hear that noise, ' oh' he said ' I was just bored'</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy went near the cooking meat trying to take that smell ' mmm…  smells delicious' he said grinning. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'You like cooking? ' he asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Yes, I do ' he replied ' I learned it during my college days' he smiled and transferred the meat into two plates. Timmy helped to get the plates on to his small table, ' take that salad and fries with you ' Armie shouted from the kitchen.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' I used to cook a lot in those days, ' Armie said after a while. He took a seat opposite Timmy. '  I don't have much time now, but when I'm with Nick, I still cook, he loves everything I make' he said and started cutting his meats. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Armie mentioned Nick, Timmy's grinning stopped, he was curious to know more about them ' Nick, your lawyer? ' he asked although he knows that they are more than that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Yup' Armie answered ' he's also my friend.. I mean my best friend' he said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was totally confused by the way Armie talked about Nick. While Nick always gave off a vibe that  he cared more about him Armie was cold. <em>Maybe it's his nature</em> Timmy thought. He felt bad for Nick, for putting up with such a cold man but for some reason he also felt bad for him, as if Armie  not being affectionate is worrying him as well. <em>He doesn't matter to me</em> He reminded him <em>I'm only talking to him because of the contract. </em></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' did you like it? ' Armie asked. Timmy was so lost in his head he forgot to give him a proper compliment ' it's great, so delicious' he said, it was great, he did not expect him to be such a good cook. This single reason would be enough to keep him in his house, despite him being so cold. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was genuinely happy, <em>this is what a proper meal can do to your mental health</em>. He was so full and content. Now he craved  nothing but a good night of sleep. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' put those plates there' he said to Armie, getting up from his chair ' I'll clean them later'</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'No' armie replied ' I don't like that, I'll clean them' he commanded. Timmy for a moment was silent 'okay I'll clean them now' he said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' Thimothee, I enjoy cleaning,' he said and got up from his place and began to scrub the plates. <em>That's weird</em>, he thought 'okay then ' he said</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He planned on going to the living room but instead went to his bedroom. He wanted Armie in there, he enjoyed sleeping with him, he enjoyed having somebody to warm his bed. It was rather a scary admission but it was the truth, he was no longer was afraid of him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was scrolling through his Instagram, the taste of barbecued meat still lingering in his mouth when Armie came to his room. He had a towel in his hands and was wiping the water from his hands. He kept the towel in a chair and sat near the corner of his bed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>' I can't stay longer,' he said. Something rushed through Timmy's mind, a disappointment. ' I have an early meeting tomorrow with a foreign investor' he justified and leaned against the bed. His head was aligned to  Timmy's tummy. After a while he turned his body towards Timmy's side and brushed his hands on his tummy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A wave of electricity passed through his body. Armie lifted his head and locked his eyes with Timmy as if he was asking for his permission. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy said nothing, the silence was his permission. Armie lifted his sweaters and pressed his lips on his tiny waist. Timmy was surprised when he let out a tiny moan. It was the danger zone, the most sensitive area. He couldn't explain the feelings he was having. As if  millions of explosives were blowing at the same time, he involuntarily lifted his waist a bit. Brought his hands towards Armie's honey blonde hair and grabbed a handful of those. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie's kisses became violent. He got up and moved towards Timmy's neck, caressing each freckle in there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> ' Henry... I love you' he whispered, it took him a while to realise that his tongue had betrayed him. Timmy was mortified, he sat there motionless, completely stupefied. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie left the room in a haze, he told him he will call him. He did not want to, he was hurt. He lied on his bed for god knows what time. When Armie uttered that word it was not regret he saw in his eyes, it was pain, as if he was expecting Timmy to be somebody else. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sleep was nowhere to be found, it was not him he wanted, he was just a body to fill the emptiness left by somebody else. It was a mixture of anger and pain, at that vulnerable moment he took his phone and texted Nick </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> 'Who's Henry? '</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you ! feel free to leave your thoughts on this chapter :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. A Triangle Mess</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p> Timmy was anxious, he didn’t want to keep him at his edge. ‘Henry is his ex’ he said. It was then the absurdity of the conversation dawned on him. He was talking about his lover’s ex to his lover’s beau</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>please excuse all the mistakes, I wrote this in one day!<br/>* Hope you guys enjoy this.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was woken up by the sound of his ringing phone. He doesn't remember when he fell asleep but he was sure it was not long ago. His head felt heavy, the phone was ringing; it was Benjamin the wholesaler. <em>you can’t sleep, you need to work</em>, he reminded himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You alright pal’ Benjamin asked him, judging by the darkness under his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Had a rough night’ he replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was struggling to get the day started, all he wanted was to go back to bed and just stay there. ‘What’s wrong Timmy?’ Sersh asked him as soon as she entered the shop. He knew they would notice his lack of spirit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ nothing’s wrong’ he replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ Then why do you look as if a train just ran over you?’ Sersh commented. ‘I’m just running low on sleep’ he said and tried to get out of that situation. ‘Did he do something?’ Flo said, narrowing her eyebrows.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> ‘No, he left early, I was just over my head thinking where this was going’ he lied. He wanted to tell them what happened, he wanted to tell them that Armie committed a mortal sin of calling him by someone else’s name. <em>But why am I holding back?</em> He wondered. He was worried that they would think bad about Armie, he didn't want them to think that he was a bad guy. He already had a bad reputation with them; he didn’t want to worsen it. <em>Why do I care about his reputation?</em></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Whatever Timmy’ Flo shrugged her shoulder ‘ you have a habit of attaching to people way easily, I want you to be careful with him’ Flo said with her typical motherly tone. But she was right, Timmy does have an attachment issue. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘We can manage the store’ Sersh suggested ‘ go get some sleep’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I’m fine,’ Timmy replied.  </span>
</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>
  <span>All day long he was anxious to get the reply from Nick. Every time his phone notified  something he assumed it was from him. The wait was killing him . Finally putting a halt to all of Timmy’s worry Nick replied around the evening </span>
</p>
<p>
  <strong> I’m sorry, I was busy.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong> Can we meet now?’</strong> </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wanted to reply as soon as he saw the notification but waited for five minutes before replying. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>‘yes , can you drop by the shop?’</strong> </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>‘I’ll be there soon</strong>’ Nick replied within minutes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p><span>Nick had a court hearing and was super busy that day, it was around afternoon he came back to the office. He straight went to Armie to discuss the details</span> <span>of the hearing. Armie seemed a bit troubled, he assumed it was because of Elizabeth, she has been messaging him about Armies birthday celebration. But he knew that was not the case when he saw Timmy’s message. </span></p>
<p>
  <span>He was at loss, not knowing what to reply. Henry was Armie’s secret, to talk about him would be a betrayal. He argued about it and came to the conclusion that he would talk. Timmy deserves to know.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sky was dark by the time he reached the shop. There was nobody except Timmy, he expected the pink and blonde girls, the girls were growing on him. <em>They are fun</em>, he thought. Timmy threw a small grin when he entered the shop, even his smile looked exhausted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He led them to a small corner of the shop where they had three chairs cornered around a table. <em>Might be their rest spot</em> he assumed. It was facing the bookshop on the corner of the street, there were two older men busily arguing about a book and a young girl reading through the back of the book. It felt from another era, as if the town had never evolved to something modern. <em>Good</em> he thought. He might be known as a shrewd lawyer; Hammer industry's dirty hands, but deep down he was a romantic. There goes no day without him thinking of escaping to a place like this. <em>And to wake up to a face like his</em>. He felt resentment towards Armie. He had everything yet he cannot appreciate these things in life; mourning for a thing that no longer exists. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Timmy was anxious, he didn’t want to keep him at his edge. ‘Henry is his ex’ he said. It was then the absurdity  of the conversation dawned on him. He was talking about his lover’s ex  to his lover’s beau. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Seeing the face of Timmy he resolved to settle for the latter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy’s face was red. The boy has an expressive face and it was evident that he was hurt. It was not the same face he saw a few months ago; full of anger and disgust. But something has changed,<em> yet another guy under the charm of Armie Hammer</em>, he thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘They were friends in college, dated for almost three years’ he said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ what happened’ Timmy enquired. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I don’t know much’ he said honestly. ‘Armie decided to walk out of that relationship and that was the end of it’ that’s all he knew about them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘But why?’ he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I don’t know’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You never asked him?’ he was surprised by his reply.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Armie doesn’t like when you pry on his personal life’ he said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘But you’re his friend, you love him don’t you?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He paused for a second ‘ yes I do’ he replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘So don’t you have the right to know and the freedom to ask?’ he said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His questions were genuine, it was something he had been avoiding for so long. <em>What is it with this guy?</em> He thought <em>asking such</em> <em>complicated questions</em>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘It is what it is Timmy, I respect his privacy, if it was something that I should’ve known he would’ve told me’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This seemed to satisfy Timmy. ‘ enough with this questions’ he said ‘ now if you don’t mind can I know what happened?’ There was no reason for him to know, it was a private thing between Timmy and Armie, but he was curious. He was embarrassed for being so curious but sometimes you cannot control your mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy did not even hesitate to give him the reply ‘ he called me "Henry" when he kissed me’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I’m not surprised’ he said ‘ you resemble him’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could see the change in emotion, <em>god this guy is an open book,</em> he thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Can I see him’ he asked hesitantly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Who Henry?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You know him’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy was surprised, his pupils dilated and eyebrows furrowed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ He’s the editor of La Guardia magazine, he’s also the guy who host <strong>Saturday night with Henry Cavill</strong>’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy’s mouth was wide opened. Saturday night with Henry Cavill was the most popular show in their town. It was a talk show with normal everyday people, discussing their life and finding beauty in the mundanity of it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ Henry Cavill?’ he repeated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ no way in hell’ Timmy laughed ‘ Henry Cavill’ he laughed</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ He think I look like Henry fucking Cavill?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘You know what Nick’ he said ‘all my life I’ve been called different names, who would've thought that somebody will think that I resembled Henry Cavill’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘If you don’t believe me I can prove it to you’ he said and took out his phone, he got a photo which was from their uni years, it was just Henry and Armie. He doesn't know why he still kept this photo with him, maybe it was because of the way Armie smilled that made him keep that photo. Whatever it may, he didn't have the heart to delete it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a close inspection, Timmy said </span>
  <span>‘ I kind of look like him,’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I told you’ he said, a sense of victory seized his mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No sense of pride or pleasure was seen in Timmy’s face, he was still smiling but not the smile Timmy usually gives. It was too painful for him to see him in this state. He was too good for them. He doesn'</span>
  <span>t deserve this pain. Despite all his envy, he cared for this guy.'Timmy come to my house’ he said ‘Armie will be there’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘What will I do there?’ he said</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Talk to him’ Nick said ‘ he’s never going to, I know him well, he’ll just brush away this topic if you didn't ask’ he said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I guess that’s right, I deserve an apology’ he said ‘wait for me nick, I need to close the shop’ he said grinning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p><span>Nick's house was on the east side of the town. It was the richest area. He was thrilled to go there. But halfway through, a fear seized him. What if Armie screamed at him? What if  he was rude and treated him like their first meeting? <em>Poor Nick</em>, he thought <em>I’m dragging him </em></span><em>into this mess</em>.</p>
<p>
  <span>When they entered NIck’s apartment. They were hit with the strong scent of roasted chicken, ‘ you’re home’ Armie shouted and paused when he saw Timmy ‘what is he doing here?’ Armie asked. Timmy feared Armie would explode at any moment, he stood close to Nick ‘ he’ll be there for dinner’ Nick said casually.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie was silent for a moment, as if he was trying to figure out what was going on. 'I'm going to take a shower’ Nick said ‘ Timmy, make yourself comfortable’ he said smiling at Timmy. <em>No Nick</em> he wanted to scream <em>don’t leave me alone</em>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was left with Armie. He anticipated a shout from Armie but he said ‘ take a seat’  'make yourself at home’ and went to the kitchen. Timmy took a seat on the couch, too confused. He sat there for a while. He could hear the sound of  shower and frying pan. <em>That's it</em>, he decided<em> I need an apology.</em></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stormed to the kitchen and saw Armie stirring something on the pan. When he saw Timmy, he switched off the stove and walked towards him. ‘Timothée’ he said ‘I should've told you about him’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘It was my mistake’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘He’s my Ex’  to hear those words from Armie’s mouth was painful. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I’m not saying that I still love him, but I mean it when I say that there won’t be another guy to whom I would give my heart to’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Romance is not for me’ he continued ‘ I can't handle too many emotions, romance is too emotional, so it would be wise if you don’t expect anything from me, I want us to be professional about the thing we’re doing’ he said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><em>You want us to be professional?</em> He wanted to ask <em>like this was my profession</em>. Anger and pain rushed through his body. Maybe it was because of the dominance of all these emotions he was feeling at once, he was speechless, there was no single sound coming out of his mouth</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Also’ Armie said and came close to him ‘look at me’ he said but Timmy didn't. He kept his head down. Armie moved further close and pulled his chin upwards, ever so softly ‘I owe an apology’ it was a whisper ‘ I am genuinely sorry’ he said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy was powerless, the mere touch of Armie made him frail. Armie brought his lips towards Timmy, they were almost touching ‘Don’t expect much from me’ he whispered and brushed Timmy’s lips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was embarrassing to admit it but he was submitting to Armie’s touch, melting like a chocolate kept inside a hot oven. Armie’s lips were all over his mouth. He smelled expensive and his mouth tasted like fresh mint. Armie kept his hands on Timmy's waist and pulled him onto the kitchen counter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie was hungry, he was gripping him strong, their mouth connected. Timmy was submitting to each touch of his, <em>what's wrong with me</em> he thought <em>why do I only fall for toxic men?.</em> He cursed himself but was opening his mouth to let Armie in when Armie suddenly broke the kiss.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was too occupied in that kiss to notice the footstep coming into the kitchen, Armie went to the stove again, stirring the salad he was making. <em>He doesn't want Nick to see them making out</em>. It dawned on him, the same mouth that was on him a second hand kissed Nick as well. The thought scared him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick sure read the tension in the room. There was a slight shade of pink on his cheeks. <em>Was it because of shame or pain?</em> But he still smiled at Timmy, <em>kind Nick.</em> ‘ what are you making’ he said to Armie ‘ it smells so good’ Armie took a handful of green veggies in a spatula and put it inside Nick's mouth ‘ mmm..’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy was so overwhelmed by everything that he  was startled to hear Armie’s phone ringing ‘it’s Nina’ he said to Nick ‘must be some emergency’ he said and left the room. He was left with Nick ‘ do you like salad, Timmy?’ he asked. Timmy remained silent. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Are you alright?’ he asked again. Timmy had nothing to say, he wanted to go home and cry himself to sleep. Nick looked at him with concerned eyes, he hugged Nick, that was so impulsive but he wanted to ‘ hey’ Nick said ‘everything okay?’ he asked. He tightened his grip around Nick’s neck ‘I’m sorry’ he said. There was silence between them. Nick’s body loosened up he tightened his grips around Timmy’s waist ‘ I don’t know what to do’ Timmy said, tears rolling down his eyes</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you !</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Mask</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>If not now then never.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>‘I’m gonna drop him off,’ Armie said to Nick. Timmy gave a shy glance at Nick ‘see you soon’ he said and waved them off.  It was only on the outside, Timmy could properly breath. To be with each of them alone is not a big thing but to deal with them together was hell. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once inside the car, Timmy's mind wandered off to different places. <em>Armie is still mourning over Henry, he’s too afraid to commit to anybody else. Nick has been in love with Armie for god knows how long, but Armie doesn’t love him back; at least not in that way. Plus Armie is married, so there’s that. Armie has a thing for me because I somehow  resemble his ex lover</em>. This was a mess, he did not know how to deal with such a complicated situation. He knew the root cause was lack of communication, nobody fucking talks about their feelings, they all treat emotions as if it is to be contempt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could not bear this bullshit anymore, he knew he had to do something  ‘why are you so afraid of commitments?’ he asked, it took everything inside him to ask that question. Armie remained silent .His eyes were vacant and fixed on the road. The only noise between them was the friction of wheel rubbing against the road. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The night was still. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wanted to repeat the question, but fear was holding him back. <em>There’s no point,</em> <em>he’s not going to talk</em>. He was the most stubborn person Timmy has ever met, the tinge of sympathy he felt for Armie vanished so easily. Hatred and disgust was replaced again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of their ride was uneventful, neither of them talked anything. They parted with silence, carrying it to their homes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He felt alive again when he saw his plants. He stroked their leaves, taking in the smell. <em>What a day,</em> he thought. He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He noticed a light in his phone: it was Nick’s message.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  <span>Message 1</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> <strong>he’s always this awful, but you’ll get used to it ;)</strong></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Message 2</span>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Get some sleep Timmy, insomnia doesn’t suit you</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Good night Nick</strong> he texted him back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><em>Armie doesn’t deserve Nick,</em> he thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Three weeks passed, Nick became a regular visitor to his shop. Armie came to the town the first week but then went to London for an emergency conference. ‘ he’s doing it on purpose’ Nick said. Timmy was busy cleaning the glass vases, keeping it fresh for the next day. ‘ doing what on purpose?’ he asked, his eyes still on the vase. ‘ the travelling’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Why’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘To avoid his birthday celebration’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ he never loved to celebrate his birthday’ Nick brooded</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ Well that came in handy, now I don’t have to meet him’ Timmy replied</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘I’m so jealous of you Timmy’ Nick said after a while</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stopped cleaning his vase, he put them in the sink and gave his full attention to Nick.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Sometimes I wish I leave everything behind and escape to a place like this... this is like a heaven to me, away from all those corporate bullshit’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> ‘ then why don’t you do it?’ he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ it’s not that easy… to leave everything behind’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy nodded in agreement. He took his time to talk ‘ suppose you were given an opportunity to leave everything behind, what would you do then?’ he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I would go to Italy’ he said ‘ to my grandfather, to his farm’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘That sounds interesting’ Timmy commented.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ It is is a wonderful place, much more peaceful than this place’ he continued ‘ I would work in the farm till the afternoon, then take a nap, in the evening would go to the town and argue with a bunch of natives over a cup of beer, get home, kiss my grandpa a goodnight and fall asleep’ he smiled ‘ I’ll wake up next day and do this all over again’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nick was glowing by the mere mention of Italy. <em>Get yourself out of this mess Nick, go and live a life that makes you happy</em>, he wanted to say. But he didn't. At the end of the day it was Nick’s life, he was the one to decide. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Can we meet on Friday?</strong> it was Armie's message. His plan to slip from  his birthday was a failure. 'You don't know her, Timmy' Nick had once said to him 'her word is the final word'. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Even more stubborn than Armie? ' he asked curiously. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'Armie is nothing in front of her' Nick laughed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Not Friday</strong>     </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Maybe Saturday?</strong>  he replied to Armie</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wanted to meet him on Saturday and not Friday. He wanted Armie to talk, he needed answers and for that he needed Armie to be there on Saturday. It was a day before his birthday celebration ; he doubted if he would ever come but to his surprise Armie said yes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was around eight PM,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He switched on the tv, it was his time to make Armie talk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Today we have a special guest on the show</strong> Henry said through TV. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He heard the sound of a car pulling over, <em>it's Armie</em>. Within minutes he heard his doorbell ring. He opened the door. Armie was wearing a black shirt and black pants, he looked grim. <em>Now may not be the good time</em> he thought <em>no if not now then never</em>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie did not fail to notice the TV running in the background. His eyes went there and turned to Timmy as if he saw something forbidden. Timmy picked up this change in his demeanour. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><em>Maybe I'm pushing too much.</em> </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie went to the couch 'what are we doing today' he said trying to avoid the screen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'I've got us some pizza' he said pointing at the box of pizza lying in front of the couch. Armie didn't say a word, he took a seat on the couch and fixed his eyes on the television. Timmy had thought about many outcomes for his wicked plan, the one where Armie being stubborn and watching the entire show and not uttering a word at all, that's more likely to happen. The worst scenario is him being Angry at Timmy and deciding to punish him, that thought shuddered him, it was possible for Armie to physically overpower Timmy. He prayed that things didn't escalate to that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy took a seat faraway from him. Both of them stared at the TV screen but their minds were somewhere else. After a while Armie broke the silence, ‘why are you doing this to me?’ he asked, fixing his eyes on the screen. Timmy did not reply, it was his time to give the silent treatment. In fact he didn't have a single idea as to why he was doing this. The pent up Hatred towards Armie made him want to see him suffer, and the only way to make him suffer was to do this. The other part of him wanted answers.  He wanted Armie to answer why he was so detached? why he was making Nick and him suffer?.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie spoke again ‘ is this because of Nick?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy turned his head towards him ‘why are you doing this to him?’ he asked</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘What did I do ?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘This Mr. Hammer’ he said pointing his eyes toward the TV</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Why do you make him suffer by bringing me into this? ' he continued, ‘ why do you make him suffer by still mourning for something that is no longer yours?’ he repeated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie took a deep breath and said ‘ I am not making him suffer”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I have told him many times to not expect anything from me, just like I told you, and if  he did in fact end up expecting, it’s not my fault, it’s his’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He then turned his head towards the TV, zipping his mouth. Gaze fixed on TV and face rigid.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy’s heart began to beat fast, he was seized by a feeling of immense fear, he felt like running, running as fast as possible, away from this, away from him</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank You</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The Man Behind The Mask</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A trigger warning, Armie is a bit aggressive towards Timmy.<br/>despite being short, it's an important chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Armie’s face remained emotionless throughout the show. Once it was over Timmy switched off the TV. It was a pause, an awkward stillness. Anything could happen, behind the stoic face of Armie was a storm ready to destroy everything his eyes lay upon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He grabbed Timmy’s hands and dragged him towards his bedroom. This was the thing he feared the most about. His face became pale, the colour from his pink lips faded to a sick purple. Armie tossed him to the mattress, he crawled on top of him and whispered ‘ your time to torture me is over, now it’s my time to play’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Get off me’ he said, pushing him away with all his might. Armie began to tore his clothes away like a mad dog. ‘Please’ he begged, his heart was beating so fast that anytime it could burst out from his chest. His arms were strong, pinning him making it hard for him to fight back. His body became numb, seized by fear,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Armie removed his pants and began to grind on his cock, mercilessly. The friction produced heat between them. He was submitting  to his strength, <em>maybe I deserve this punishment</em> he thought. He began to leak…a disgrace of an arousal. He was embarrassed by how fast his body could react to his touch. Armie began to move fast  and then abruptly stopped. Armie stopped moving and put all his weight on Timmy’s body. The weight was crushing him down, he thought he would die but Armie moved away from him, to his side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> He took Timmy’s face in his hands, it was not the animalistic look he saw a few minutes ago, something changed, the look was much more gentle ‘what have I become?’ he asked, his brows furrowed creating folds on his forehead. There was guilt in his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hours passed by, neither of them spoke a single word. It was Armie who spoke again ‘ I am afraid Timmy’ he said ‘ I am afraid I might hurt him just like I hurt Henry’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘I am not made to love people’ he said looking at the ceiling ‘I can only give pain to the people I love’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Timmy wanted to say something but he was mentally drained and to open his mouth was a task. Besides, he felt Armie was finally ready to let down his guard. It was the moment he was waiting for, it did cost him dear. He fixed his gaze on Armie, ready to listen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'I don’t know how to love’ he said ‘ nobody taught me that’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Growing up I was always alone, to my mother I was a sin, A mistake, A disgrace in God’s eyes. I tried my best to hide this sin, I tried my best to be a good son, I went to church, I got good scores in exams. But it was not enough’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As a kid I used to wish that she loved me as much as she loved my brother. The desire was strong whenever I become sick, I longed for her to sit besides me and tell me that I am going to get better. But no… I spent those days inside my cold, dark room… all alone. I shudder to think about that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Things began to look bright when my dad began to live with us <em>I am proud of you he said</em>. Those words were a burden to me more than a relief. Because I am a flawed person, I am never enough and my dad believed in me that changed everything and I had the burden to keep it that way</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That’s why I hid my desire when he asked me to. <em>You’re more than that</em> he said. Nobody has ever said to me those words, my father had a trust in me and I would never disappoint him </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Things took a turn when I met Henry, he was ready to accept me as I was. He loved my flaws and made me less anxious about them. He knew me, I don’t know how But he knew me inside out. He knew my limit and never pushed me beyond that, he was always careful and gentle. I tried my best to give him back the love he gave me. It was hard, but he was not in a hurry, he always understood my struggle and appreciated my efforts. He was perfect for me.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But when my dad asked me to choose, to choose between my own blood and my only love, I chose the former. Because I couldn’t disappoint him, he was the only person who believed in me. But the guilt of hurting him still lives with me, I know one day it will kill me’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>'He is going to be the end of me'</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took a deep sigh and turned his gaze towards Timmy, he brushed his hands on his curls and then on his chin, pulling him closer. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘I love Nick, he’s everything to me. I can’t bear the thought of hurting him ,I want him to be happy and I can't  give him that. You’re right Timmy’ he said ‘I have to let him go…’ </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Begin Again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for reading this Fic, it was my first ever fic and I know it has it's own flaws but this was a huge experience for me and thank you for being a part of that journey.<br/>* initially I planned to make it much more longer, but I am mentally exhausted, I don't think I can deal with any of the things that's happening around me. I need some time but I want to finish what I started. so here we go</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He woke up with a tender heart. The bed was empty but still warm, morning light was rushing through the plant ornated windows. He felt lite. He let out a deep sigh, trying to remember everything that had happened last night. It was a relief: to finally let out everything he was holding so close. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He assumed Timmy was in the shop, he was already so late, his phone was buzzing with Liz’s call. He was to pick up his dad from the Airport for his fucking birthday celebration. He got ready and  slipped through the apartment door, leaving a note for Timmy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Thank you for everything… Thank you for Listening.</strong> </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His dad looked tired, an image he was trying hard to get used to. He helped him get inside the car. By the time he helped his dad to get to his room, his dad was panting, struggling to find breath. ‘Take some rest dad’ he said and was about to leave when his dad called him back. ‘You don’t like this party Don’t you?’ he asked, Armie did not reply, he had no answer</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘Why do you do this?’ his dad asked</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ why do you do things you don’t like?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘To please whom?’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘To please Elizabeth’ he said with a tone of anger </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘If not she would reveal what I truly am to the world, and that would be a major blow to my family name’ <em>that’s it</em> he thought, he wanted to get this out of his chest, now it was out there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His father had a grim expression, </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘It won’t be a blow to our family name’ his father said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘It took me a while to realize this, but you’re perfect my son’ his father’s voice vibrated with emotions</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘ I accept you as a whole’ he said ‘ I don’t care about the family name, I care about your happiness and it kills me every time when I see you suffocate like this’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Years later when he think about that day his dad's words was the first thing that runs into his mind, it was the exact words which gave him courage to Talk to Nick and Henry about his heart, he apologized to them , though any sorts of words would never make up to the things he did to them, but still he did it, because that was the only thing he could do. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The other main event he remembers is  when he chooses to go to the flower shop instead of his part, that was an abrupt decision from his part, but the best one he had ever made. It was the day he was born, until then he had no control over his life but at that moment he decided to be born again and he wanted to do it with Timmy… his Timmy. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you for reading<br/>I know this is such a fast ending, I wish I had the strength to give more justice to it, but for now This is all I could do. <br/>Hopefully I'll see you with something better, till then goodbye<br/>Love you all !</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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